A New School Year
by WolfGangSBD
Summary: Eli, Maki, and Nico move into a new house, which coincidentally is next to where Nozomi, Rin, and Umi live. Add Kotori, Hanayo, and Honoka to the mix and we get an extremely gay reaction. Honestly, they all just want to breeze through the school year without embarrassing themselves in front of their crushes. Hah, good luck with that. [NozoEli, NicoMaki, KotoUmi, Rinpana, TsubaHono]
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** I love the "sub-units are roommates" idea so here I am making a college AU about them. This will mainly be fluff/humor. It was meant to be a one-shot but more ideas came pouring in and now it's going to be much longer, possibly 40k? Other than that, I'll make sure everyone will get screen time, which will be hard so the updates might come slower than usual. I hope you decide to stick with me till the end!

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"I'm leaving now, nya~" Rin announced as she put on her shoes and made a swift move to leave, hoping she was fast enough to slip by unnoticed. However, fate was not on her side and deemed she was too slow considering how Umi looked up from the newspaper she was reading and Nozomi's head popped up from her position at the couch within a split second.

"Where exactly will you be going?" Umi asked sternly with a suspicious look, making Rin pout with disappointment and annoyance; if she was faster she would've been able to skip the interrogation.

"Hm, I don't think our little Rin-chan is going anywhere that would raise any concern. Right Rin-chan?" Nozomi intervened with a mysterious smile as she got up and walked over to where Rin was, but the orange-haired girl still caught the underlying tone which basically read as "you better not be doing dumb shit".

"As if I'm going to do anything shameless!" Rin exclaimed with another pout, making Nozomi laugh at her cute reaction and ruffle her hair. Umi just gave her another hard look before going back to her newspaper. However, her lips held a hint of a smile, showing that she cared more than she let on.

It was always like this ever since Rin met Nozomi and Umi in middle school. The two had found Rin crying because she missed her friends back from her old town. The sight hit a bit too close to home for Nozomi, who had also felt the same feelings of loneliness until she became well acquainted with Umi's family.

Nozomi was the one who initiated contact, not wanting anyone to feel the same type of pain she felt when she was younger. Soon after, they became best friends despite being in different age groups and were inseparable. Rin was the playful and ever-supportive friend who never failed to make Nozomi and Umi smile whenever they were feeling down while Umi was the overprotective one, making sure that both Rin and Nozomi followed the rules and did their homework. On the other hand, Nozomi was the mediator who seemed to know whenever Rin or Umi had any troubles. However, that didn't stop the purple-haired senior from teasing her two best friends as much as she could which, unfortunately for the two, happened on a daily basis. Even more so now that the three were living together for college.

"Mou, I'm just going to go see Kayo-chin! I haven't seen her since elementary school, nya!" Rin explained with a huge grin, ecstatic at the thought of meeting up with her precious childhood friend, "When I bumped into her during the college tour, I got her number and address and she said she'll help me get a head start on our composition class, nya!" She started to bounced up and down with excitement; it had been, what, six or seven years since she'd last seen the brunette?

"Number _and_ address? It looks like our little Rin-chan is quite the charmer." Nozomi teased and Umi looked back up from her newspaper to give Rin another strict look.

"Until Nozomi and I meet her, you are forbidden from dating her." Umi commanded, making Rin stop bouncing and blush with embarrassment.

"Nya? Kayo-chin and I aren't even like that Umi-chan! Geez, I'm gonna be late; I'll see you later for dinner! I hope we have some ramen, nya!" Rin responded brightly, a small blush adorning her cheeks. She quickly opened the door and left, waving and yelling goodbye all the while.

Nozomi let out a giggle when Umi just let out a noncommittal hum before going back to reading her newspaper; the blue-haired girl always tried to stay composed but when it came to the ones she loved, she always overreacted. Nozomi shook her head before she walked to the kitchen, looking for ingredients for the ramen that Rin wanted and started to brew some tea. She knew Umi would be disgruntled from Rin's dinner choice and that her favorite tea was the easiest way to calm her down.

"Are we really having ramen for dinner? Again?" Umi asked with a sigh as she put the newspaper down, making Nozomi grin; she was almost always correct with her predictions even without the help of her cards, "At least put more vegetables, that girl never eats healthy things."

"Well, it's going to be Rin-chan's first year in college soon so I want to spoil her a little bit. And don't worry, I'll add some extra veggies for our Rin-chan." Nozomi replied with a warm smile before it turned teasing, "But never mind that. I saw you staring at that one girl when we were helping out at the tour last week."

Nozomi laughed when Umi accidentally tore the newspaper she was reading. Why the younger girl was so old-fashioned astonished Nozomi, especially with the advanced technology the modern times had.

"What was her name again? I believe it was related to birds." Nozomi asked with hidden mischief; she knew her name but she wanted to tease Umi a bit more.

"…Kotori." Umi answered but her voice was muffled, making Nozomi turn around in curiosity. She just let out another amused giggle at the scene; Umi was as red as a tomato and her head was ungraciously slumped on the table.

"Sonoda Umi, if your mother saw you right now…" Nozomi started with a smirk, making Umi straighten her form once again. She shot Nozomi a glare before getting up to put away the newspaper she was done reading.

"Do not look so smug, Nozomi. You had to learn those traditions with me as well."

"Hm? But I didn't mind it at all. After all, I got to see a cute girl do it with me too." Nozomi responded with a wink and Umi blushed, wondering how she wasn't resistant to flirting after being with someone like Nozomi ever since she was a child.

Umi officially met Nozomi when she was in the third grade, making Nozomi a fourth grader. Nozomi's parents had to travel a lot for their work and saw the terrible effect it had on Nozomi. Not wanting their daughter to feel lonely anymore, the Toujous had her stay with the Sonodas, who were good friends due to their old times together in school. And so, whenever Nozomi's parents had to leave for a long period of time, which happened quite often, Nozomi slept over at Umi's house and pretty much learned whatever Umi was learning such as calligraphy and archery, though she wasn't the best at it. Of course Nozomi missed her parents dearly but not having to move to a different school and having someone she could call her best friend made it worth it. That, and she received weekly letters whenever her parents were gone.

"I brewed your favorite tea, Umi-chan. Don't be so grumpy." Nozomi added with a cheeky grin and Umi sighed, getting up and pouring herself a cup. She felt herself relax as she took a sip and briefly wondered if the conversation about Kotori was over.

"You've got to introduce me to her though. Didn't you tell me you had her for composition last school year? And now you two have that communications class together." Nozomi continued as her smile became mischievous and Umi inwardly groaned; she spoke, or in this case thought, too soon. "It seems the gods are on your side this year."

"Nozomi, stop teasing me. As if you could do better with the Ayase." Umi retorted and Nozomi only grinned wider in return.

"Ayase-san isn't as cold as everyone puts her to be. Just like you Umi-chan~ You can be quite mean sometimes." Nozomi replied cheekily and Umi gave up. With one last glare, Umi sat down on the couch in the living room and turned on the television Nozomi's parents had gotten for them, effectively tuning Nozomi out.

It wasn't that Umi was indifferent to others; they just gave her too much attention and Umi found later on that acting aloof led to less confessions. Not to mention, she thought it was polite to be straight to the point, even if it made the other person cry which in her defense, only happened once.

Okay, maybe twice.

...to the same girl.

Umi ended up going out on one date with that girl so she could back off for a bit, but it turned for the worse when she caught her stealing her used napkins. And so, this concludes the story of how Umi decided that she wouldn't be _too_ nice when it came to strangers. Oh, and also how she filed for her very first restraining order.

But Umi could care less if the school saw her as the strict, reserved beauty that was (somewhat) unapproachable; she had more important things to worry about.

First, she had to keep an eye on Nozomi, who always got in trouble for pulling pranks. Now she also had to watch Rin, who was always quick on her feet. And if Nozomi was the prankster and Rin was uncatchable, then that meant that their pranks would be twice as devastating. Umi shuddered at the memory of when Nozomi and Rin had somehow placed plastic cups full with water all over the floors in their high school. As in _everywhere_. Even the classrooms, clubrooms, and principal's office were affected. Needless to say, school was delayed for hours while Nozomi and Rin weren't punished due to the lack of evidence.

Then, there was the issue of the ashen-haired girl with glistening amber eyes that seemed to take over most of Umi's thoughts ever since she met her. She had such an adorable smile, beautiful laugh, wonderful voice, ample body frame—

 _'_ — _Get a hold of it Umi!'_ Umi inwardly stopped herself from thinking any more about how gorgeous Kotori was. If she couldn't handle thinking about her, then she wouldn't be able to handle being in the same class with her. It was a miracle as to how Umi aced composition class with her; Kotori was such a beautiful distraction. With a deep sigh, Umi absentmindedly switched the channels.

It was going to be a tough new school year for her.

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 **AN:** Sorry about Umi being a bit overbearing; it's the result of having to take care of not one but two pranksters. You can expect something happening with Nozomi and Rin, but not anytime soon unfortunately. In the next chapter, Bibi will be revealedi!

 **Important Side Note:** I'm basing the college educational system on the American one because I don't know how the other nations work. Usually, during the first two years students take a bunch of prerequisite classes as well as some that deal with their major while the last two years focus more on whatever major the students have.

To makes things easier, the classes the first years will share are composition while the second years will have communications. Nozomi and Eli will share advanced composition for reasons which will be revealed next chapter while Nico shares Food Studies with Hanayo and Honoka.

As always, any criticisms are much appreciated! Ideas are too :D


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Hello again! Things are gonna start to get hectic for me despite the fact that I have summer vacation, meaning the next update will come slower unfortunately. Gotta start doing my summer homework as well as college prep stuff. Well, here's BiBi for ya! Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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"Nico-chan can you clean up the bathroom? All I see are these weird products and I can't even find my toothbrush."

"Tch, you're one to talk. Your room is so messy it's like a sharknado passed by."

"That doesn't matter cause you aren't supposed to be in my room anyways! And are you really referencing that shitty movie?"

"Well your personality is as shitty as the movie itself!"

Eli groaned loudly when the two girls started yelling at each other. She eyed the redhead and the shorter raven-haired woman (who still looked like she was in high school), and wondered if the two would stop but shook her head; it was Maki and Nico she was thinking about. Their fights may have occurred less throughout the years, but that didn't mean it still happened. The two would blow up at each other at least five times a week, which was way better back than in high school when they fought around at least 13 times a week.

Ah, the good ol' times.

Well, there _were_ instances where the two got along like they were best friends but man, those instances were _rare_. And so, she got up from her seat at the dinner table and stood in between the two before giving them both her iciest glare.

"Maki, Nico. What have I said about cursing?" Eli asked sternly and bit back the triumphant smirk when she saw the two cower in fear.

"N-Not to." The two chorused and Eli gave them a pointed look. The two immediately apologized to each other and Eli accepted it even though it was half-hearted. She needed to find a way to get the two to stop being loud; they just moved into this house a couple days ago and it would be rude to their new neighbors. Maybe she should just lock the two in a closet and wait for them to come out to each other.

Oh wait, she tried that already. It was a complete failure considering how nothing changed when Eli let them out.

Eli sighed before affectionately ruffling their hair; the two would never admit it but Eli knew that it comforted them. "Now quiet down. We have new neighbors who might not be as understanding as our old ones." Eli tried to restrain herself from wincing when Maki frowned and glared at Nico.

"If it wasn't for this little midget throwing that party then that house would have been okay." Maki muttered, making Nico glare back at her.

"That's mature, Maki. Attack my height since it's the only thing you can insult."

"Ahem." Eli interrupted with a cough and the two immediately stopped. She sent the two disapproving glances, shaking her head all the while.

"Maki, if your mother saw you now." Eli commented with a half disappointed, half joking sigh, making the redhead blush and twirl her hair with embarrassment.

"Right. I forgot you two rich brats knew each other." Nico grumbled, making the two glare at her. "Well, Eli isn't a brat; she has manners. It's just you, Maki."

Eli just stood back and watched the two with amused exasperation.

This had become a part of Eli's daily life. She knew Maki through her parents, who were well connected with Maki's parents because of business purposes. Eli had met Nico later on in high school and the two didn't really hit it off very well at the start but as the time passed by, the two eventually got closer; they were somehow in the same classes for all of high school and were paired up together for several projects. It was hard to not become friends.

Once Maki started attending the same high school, Eli was secretly delighted to find that the two had a not-so-obvious attraction to each other because it meant that her closest friends got along with each other. The only bad thing was that they both weren't good with expressing themselves so they ended up exploding at each other. However, Eli knew that if the circumstances came to it, the two would catch a bullet for each other. Well, they would all catch a bullet for each other.

Speaking of arguing, Eli should probably go apologize to her neighbors. That, and give them a warning that there would be some days that her two dumb roommates would get especially loud (Valentine's Day).

"I'm going to go introduce myself to the neighbors now. You two better behave." Eli stated and the two girls hummed in reply before going back to what they were doing, which was basically Nico watching some idol show while Maki grumbled about in the bathroom.

Eli went outside and stretched before walking to the house on her left. Their house was at the end of the block so their only neighbors were the ones who resided the fairly large white house. Well, their house was also pretty big seeing as how most of the houses in this particular residential area looked similar.

Their neighborhood was quiet (save for the occasional college party) and accommodated by either upper-middle class citizens, who were usually gone most of the time due to whatever work they had, or students from the university nearby. It was hard to rent a house because there was an extensive application process and whatnot, but Eli decided to rent one because it was peaceful, affordable (for them), and had a better studying environment. The community was also safer than the apartments closer to school; Eli grimaced at the thought of her first year, when she rented an apartment with Nico and had to deal with parties in their block every weekend. She didn't know how those kids were able to balance school with their social life, but they somehow made it work. Anyways, Eli split the rent between Maki and Nico and finances weren't a problem for the three, especially with Eli's business connections and Maki's heritage. The redhead was pretty rich, considering how her parents owned a chain of renowned hospitals.

Other than that, Nico's family had somewhat of a financial issue so Nico paid for a smaller portion of the rent. However, this didn't mean that she was any less capable; she kept the two girls alive by cooking them nutritious meals and making sure the house as clean as it could be. Not only that, she took the initiative to work part-time at a nearby cafe and used the money earned to treat the girls out weekly if they were free. She also took care of the two workaholics, who seemed to do nothing but study. There were too many times Nico caught the two knocked out and slumped over a table that contained notes and study guides with nothing else but coffee in their stomachs.

Eli walked up to the door, admiring the pretty yellow, blue, and purple flowers as well as the trimmed grass before knocking on it. She heard soft footsteps getting closer and let out a good-natured smile when the door opened, thinking it would be some random adult. However, once Eli looked at the figure that opened the door, she felt her smile falter and her mind go blank.

Before Eli's very eyes was a goddess that she knew all too well. She had those familiar mesmerizing emerald eyes with that warm, perfect smile. Her luscious purple hair was tied into her usual low tails and Eli found herself shamelessly staring at her wonderful body, too shocked at the sudden appearance of the beauty. Her blue eyes assessed the stunning figure before her, looking down at the smooth legs before moving back up to look at the fairly large breasts. It was only when Eli heard a giggle that she snapped out of it.

"Ayase-san. You must be one of our new neighbors." The woman said with a knowing smile, making Eli blush deeply with mortification.

"W-Well, y-yes. I just, uh, wanted to, uhm, drop by and say hello. I didn't know you lived here, Toujou-san." Eli stuttered miserably, making Nozomi giggle once more. Eli tried to fight off another blush; her giggles always sounded so pleasantly melodious.

 _'C'mon, Eli, stop being so gay.'_ Eli inwardly chided herself.

 _'We didn't prepare for this though!'_ Another part of her shot back and Eli silently agreed; she always had to prepare herself to talk Nozomi or else her mind would short-circuit.

Which was exactly what was happening right now. How embarrassing. Get it together Eli.

"It's nice to see you again. Our other roommate is somewhere else right now but she'll be back for dinner." Nozomi replied with a friendly smile and Eli, having fought over her initial awkwardness and shock, composed herself and sent her one of her own smiles.

"It's nice to see you too. Are you ready for the new school year?" Eli responded, wanting to keep the conversation going and Nozomi paused before grinning widely.

"I unfortunately didn't take any math classes, but if I knew you were going to sign up for one, then I definitely would have as well." Nozomi said with a wink and giggled when Eli blushed lightly.

"Since we'll be neighbors for what I hope to be quite a while, how about you bring your other roommates over for dinner? Oh, and do please come in." Nozomi continued amiably, her emerald eyes twinkling with amusement at the sight of the rosy blush on Eli's cheeks. She loved making the blonde blush and relished in the fact that very few were able to do so.

"If we are not intruding, then I accept." Eli shot Nozomi a small smile when she let the blonde in, which made Nozomi's heart race. Eli's smiles, no matter how faint, were always breathtaking.

"Who was it?" Eli heard a fairly deep voice ask as she looked around the house, which was very simple but adorned with expensive furniture.

"Our new neighbor came by to greet us, Umi-chan." Nozomi replied and Eli saw someone get up from the couch.

Sonoda Umi.

Eli heard much about her from some of her classmates and it was mostly about how charismatic she was despite her somewhat aloof aura. She heard bits and pieces of her past, such as how she won various archery tournaments and was great at calligraphy.

Eli stood straighter as she saw Umi walk towards her. Like Nozomi, she was beautiful. Unlike Nozomi, she didn't have the same proportions. However, this didn't mean that she wasn't as attractive as the purple-haired woman. In fact, she seemed more charming, especially because she exuded a cool aura despite her strict appearance. Her long navy blue hair indeed looked silky—something she'd often heard about from others—and her chocolate eyes were expressive. Eli knew now why people never wanted to get Umi angry. Her movements were elegant and gracious, as if she was brought up in a traditional home. And now that Eli was able to look at her closely, she realized that she had seen her somewhere, probably in the hallways during the last school year considering how the two shared the same major.

Now Eli had to be extra polite; if she had met Umi before and didn't know her that well, then the chances were that she probably glared at her before. It's not that she wanted to glare at people all the time _—_ it was quite the opposite actually. But Eli found out the hard way that not everyone was nice and nonjudgmental, especially because she was a quarter Russian. It was just easier to isolate herself than to make friends with people who were fake.

"It is nice to meet you. My name is Sonoda Umi." Umi politely reached her hand out and Eli took it, giving it a firm shake.

"Likewise. My name is Ayase Eli." Eli greeted back with a small smile but tensed at Umi's reaction.

"Ah, Nozomi, is this the same Ayase you were telling Rin and I about last year?" Umi asked, her voice steady as she shot the blonde a suspicious gaze. Eli tried to keep her face blank at the mocha eyes that seemed to be judging her while Nozomi just giggled.

"Yeah, that's the Ayase." Nozomi confirmed before playfully elbowing Umi, "Calm down, will ya? You might scare her away."

"Fine with me." Umi murmured and was smacked lightly by Nozomi. "Was that necessary?"

Nozomi raised her eyebrow and Umi just sighed, "Sorry about that. It's just that I heard that your last house burned down and I couldn't help but get...worried."

Nozomi bit back a pout at Umi's overprotectiveness while Eli inwardly groaned.

Ah, right.

That dumb party that Nico threw. Not to say that it wasn't fun, it just had some...dumb consequences. Like dealing with firefighters and panicked drunk students when she got back from buying fast food. Damn her sudden cravings for chicken nuggets.

"It was partially my fault because I let Nico convince me to throw a party to celebrate the end of the school year and didn't stay long enough to supervise it." Eli hastily explained before rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, "Well, even if I did stay I wouldn't have been able to stop it. Nico told me that some idiot thought that baking cookies would be a great idea but he forgot about it so the oven exploded. At least no one got hurt."

Eli mentally shoved the memory of dealing with the authorities and shrieking college students as well as her furious parents deep down into the darkest depths of her mind. It was just a load of unnecessary stress and a waste of time. Not to mention, it was a miracle they were able to still rent another house, although Eli thought that it was only because she knew Maki; that redhead had a considerable amount of power. Ah, the pros of knowing an extremely wealthy person.

"Baking during a party? It doesn't sound so bad." Nozomi contemplated and grinned at the sight of Umi's glare. "Yes, yes. No parties at our house."

"If you do decide to throw another one, then please do inform us prior." Umi stated before sitting back down on the couch, Nozomi and Eli trailing behind.

"After that incident, I doubt it." Eli replied honestly and Nozomi glanced at the blonde, her emerald irises glimmering with an emotion Eli never really understood even up to now. It seemed as if it were filled with intellectual curiosity or, dare she think, sincere interest. Which would be bad because Eli didn't want to get her hopes up.

"I never took Ayase-san to be a partygoer." She remarked with a grin and Eli shrugged, casually waving off the comment while trying to maintain her cool. She always felt nervous whenever Nozomi looked at her like that.

"I actually don't go to parties that often. People challenge me to drinking competitions just cause I'm a quarter Russian and it's a hassle." Eli responded off-handedly and raised an eyebrow when Nozomi tilted her head slightly with curiosity.

"Say, we were in the same class for a year and I still don't know much about you." Nozomi started with a slightly teasing tone, her eyes twinkling with something she knew all to well: mischief. "And I think the stories I've heard about you are exaggerated to say the least."

"Stories?" Eli's interest and dread peaked at this statement.

Oh _hell_ no.

Eli knew there were a lot of rumors flowing around about her—there's one where she used to be part of a Russian mafia because apparently one of her glares made someone piss his pants and supposedly only mafia members could do that—and Eli really hoped that none of them changed how Nozomi saw her.

"Yep. There was one where you wrestled a bear in Russia during one of the coldest winters and another where you won a drinking contest against three people in a row." Nozomi giggled at Eli's disgruntled face before continuing, "There were a couple other ones where you glared down one of the first years after she confessed to you, but I'd like to believe that one wasn't true."

"I didn't glare at her!" Eli protested before scratching her cheek in embarrassment, "She was just being very pompous and, for a lack of a better word, bitchy during the whole thing so I couldn't help but respond a bit coldly."

"Oh, so are the rest of the stories true?" Nozomi teased and Eli sputtered in response.

"O-Of course not! You should know that by now!"

"Hm, red sure is a nice color on you, Ayase-san."

"T-Toujou-san! Why do you keep teasing me?"

"Cause it's cute seeing you all embarrassed. Usually you're glaring at half of the class. Or, well, ignoring them."

"T-That's because they're fake and always bragging about insignificant things. And they're rude towards others who don't deserve it."

"So I'm not fake?"

"You're the most genuine person I've ever met."

A beat of silence before Nozomi's soft giggles encompassed the room.

"Aw, Ayase-san, you could be quite the charmer when you want to be." Nozomi responded as she shot Eli a wide smile.

"Well, it's the truth." Eli muttered as she averted her gaze, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

Umi kept her eyes on the show she was watching beforehand and contemplated leaving so she could stop being the third wheel but remembered that she needed to assess the blonde thoroughly; Nozomi _did_ have a small crush on Eli, and Umi would be damned if Eli was just charming her way to get into her pants (although a part of her doubted Eli would do that but hey, don't judge a book by its cover).

So here she was, watching their interactions silently albeit amusedly. Her initial opinion of Eli was, needless to say, squashed. At first, Eli seemed like a composed and responsible young individual but at the hands of Nozomi... well, she was reduced to a blubbering mess. She did have some game, Umi would admit. One thing was for sure though; the Eli she saw now falsified all the stories about how she was an "Ice Queen" or a "Bratva".

Ayase Eli was nothing of the cold, mature beauty that the whole school thought her to be. She was just a somewhat socially awkward blonde who was perfect in everything except for social interactions. So basically she was a glorified version of Umi, who had the same problems as Eli except she wasn't _as_ unapproachable. The blonde really did glare at everyone except for those who knew her better. And Umi could've sworn she felt the hallways get colder whenever she passed by Eli during their last school year.

"If the two of you have been classmates for almost a year, why do you still refer to each other using your last names?" Umi interrupted the conversation, which had drifted to more of the various rumors surrounding Eli. Umi inwardly scoffed at how many there were; one would think some things would change after high school.

"That is...true." Eli replied as she pondered the question and glanced at Nozomi, "I actually don't know."

"Well, we _did_ only start to talk more when we sat next to each other but that was only during the last semester." Nozomi commented before smiling warmly, making Eli's heart flutter because that smile just tugged at her heartstrings. "So, how about it? I personally don't mind."

"Alright then," Eli started a bit nervously, making Nozomi giggle. "Nozomi."

"Hm... Eli-chan, Eli," Nozomi tested out before grinning broadly, "Elichi."

"Elichi?" Eli questioned curiously and blushed lightly when Nozomi directed her radiant smile towards her. It was just so pure and ecstatic that it made Eli's heart race.

 _'Ah, I'm too gay for this.'_

"Yep! A nickname of sorts," Nozomi exclaimed, although her voice trailed off as she looked at Eli a bit uncertainly, "if you don't mind."

Eli's eyes widened slightly and she tried her best not to flinch at the sight of the slightly embarrassed Nozomi before her. It was just so rare and so precious and—

 _'—so adorable!'_ Eli thought as she tried to regain control of her gay heart.

"Of course, I don't mind." Eli shot Nozomi what she thought to be a reassuring smile, not knowing that it was actually charming in reality, making Nozomi blush for once.

Of course, Umi knew from the start that she would be left out, but she didn't mind it that much. Her thoughts drifted back to the year before when Nozomi first started to talk about Eli and at that moment, she immediately saw that Nozomi had a crush on her. Looking at the two now, she knew that Nozomi's feelings were very much reciprocated.

The only problem was, well, for Eli to gain Umi's approval. Not that Umi didn't like Eli. She still thought that Eli was a respectable person, especially since she was a student who mostly got perfect marks on her tests. She also knew that Eli wouldn't hurt Nozomi intentionally; she always got so embarrassed whenever Nozomi hit on her. Eli just had to prove to Umi that she was worthy of Nozomi, who was one of the most important figures in Umi's life.

As Umi thought more about Eli and if she would be suitable for someone Umi loved dearly, she stood up and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen. She needed more tea for this. However, the sight of Rin's bag on the dining table made her stop.

"Seriously, that girl…"

At the sound of Umi's voice, Eli and Nozomi broke off their conversation and looked at her.

"Is something the matter, Sonoda-san?" Eli asked curiously and Umi shook her head.

"Please, Umi is just fine. Nozomi, look at this." She held up Rin's bag and her face looked like she was expecting it to happen, making Nozomi giggle once more.

"She must have been so excited that she forgot her stuff." Nozomi commented with amusement, and Umi hummed in agreement.

"Do you know where her childhood friend lives?" Umi inquired and Nozomi shook her head, making Umi sigh. "She even forgot her phone and I doubt that she memorized our numbers."

"Do you know any first years Elichi?" Nozomi asked and Eli nodded.

"Yeah, my roommate Maki is one. I can ask her if she knows your friend." Eli replied, taking her phone out.

"Thanks Elichi! Ask if she knows someone named Hanayo." Nozomi smiled gratefully and Eli nodded before dialing Maki's number. She held the phone up to her ear and waited for the call to connect.

"Yo, Maki."

" _What do you want?"_

"What have I told you about being rude on the phone?"

"… _not to be."_

"That's right. How about we start that over." Nozomi muffled her giggles at Eli's authoritative tone; she looked like a parent scolding a child.

" _Hello Eli. Is there a reason why you're calling?"_

"That's better. Do you know someone named Hanayo?"

" _Hanayo? Yeah I do. We spoke briefly during the college tour and we have the same writing class. What's up?"_

"Our neighbor's other roommate, Rin, forgot her stuff and she's at Hanayo's place right now."

"… _Rin? As in Hoshizora Rin?"_ Maki sounded more disgruntled than ever.

"Yeah…is that bad?" At the question, the two girls looked at Eli curiously but the blonde just gave them a reassuring smile.

"… _not really. She's just…very energetic. I'll text you Hanayo's number."_

"I'm surprised Maki. You have someone else's number other than mine, Nico's, and your parents."

" _W-Whatever. We all exchanged numbers only because we decided to study together. Rin sucks at writing and Hanayo needs help on math."_

"Hm, just make sure Nico doesn't get jealous. I don't want to be caught up in another one of your arguments stemming from jealousy again." Eli couldn't help but tease the redhead; it was fun to get her embarrassed.

" _W-What? I don't get you, Eli. I'm hanging up."_

"Wait! We're having dinner with Nozomi, Umi, and Rin tonight so you and Nico better behave."

" _Whatever. I have my manners but I don't know about that short devil—"_

" _I can hear you, you rich brat!"_

Eli lightly sighed as she knew what was going to happen. She held the phone out of her ear and in the air, looking at it with disappointment while Nozomi and Umi looked at it with amusement. Although the phone wasn't on speaker, the three could still hear the other two's voices as clear as day.

" _Maybe you shouldn't listen into other people's conversations, you dolt!"_

" _Well you're a vain asshat who does nothing but study!"_

" _Says the idiot who gets shitty grades! How'd you even get here on a scholarship!?"_

" _O-kay, just cause I don't get perfect scores on my tests doesn't mean they're shitty—"_

Eli ended the call then, her eyes closed in frustration and her lips pressed into a thin line. She felt Nozomi rub her back comfortingly and instead of flinching, she was surprised to find that she relaxed into the touch. Eli opened an eye and gave her a grateful smile.

"It seems like your roommates tend to give you trouble." Umi remarked and Eli sighed once more.

"Maki and Nico actually don't argue as much as before, and they seem like they hate each other but they really do care. Those two surprisingly work well together when it comes down to it." Eli admitted with a somewhat sheepish smile, remembering the days when Maki and Nico would help each other study. There were the casual insults of "stupid" and "idiot" thrown around but the outcome was very successful.

"Oh, is Maki-chan the one that Nicocchi complains about all the time? The one with the red hair?" Nozomi asked with a grin and Eli nodded, making her grin mischievously, "Hm, looks like I have another thing to tease her about."

Oh right. Nico and Nozomi knew each other since they had the same writing class during their first year of college. Eli prayed that Nico hadn't talked to Nozomi too much about her; Nico had seen _way_ too many embarrassing moments of her.

Eli's internal panic was interrupted when she felt her phone vibrate. She was shocked that Maki was able to text her Hanayo's number. Wasn't she still fighting with Nico?

"Weird, I still got the text." Eli commented before showing the message to Umi, who immediately texted Hanayo. After a couple minutes, she was able to get the address.

"Ah, it's just down the block." Umi noted and made a move to leave. "I'll do my morning run right after; I'll make it quick today and run one lap instead of three. Nozomi, I trust that you can keep Eli good company."

"Of course Umi-chan! Just who do you take me to be?" Nozomi questioned playfully and Umi gave her a deadpan look, making her giggle once again. "Have a safe trip and a fun run, Umi-chan!"

Umi promptly left, her back still straight and her movements as graceful as ever. Nozomi then turned back to Eli, who turned bright red at being caught staring at her. Nozomi giggled at the blonde before getting into the role of playing a good host.

"Do you want anything to drink? Some tea, perhaps?" Nozomi asked and Eli nodded with a smile.

"That would be great."

Nozomi motioned for Eli to sit down at the dinner table and left briefly to get the tea. She then poured some for herself and Eli before smiling gently.

"So who are your professors this year?" She asked and Eli pondered for a bit, thinking about which classes she would have with Nozomi before letting out a small sigh, making her raise her eyebrow.

"No one too demanding. But I found out that I have that crazy TA for Advanced Composition this year. The one who goes crazy over grammar?" Eli answered and Nozomi nodded in recognition.

"Kurosawa-senpai?" She asked and Eli nodded in confirmation, "I have her too!"

"On Tuesdays in the afternoon?" Nozomi questioned and Eli grinned stupidly.

 _'Success!'_ Eli thought and she resisted the urge to pump her fist into the air.

"Yeah, on Tuesdays." Eli kept smiling widely before wiping it off of her face; Nozomi was muffling her giggles and as cute as it was, Eli did have some pride.

"She's amazing though, being a graduate student and all." Eli added to hide her awkwardness before continuing, "Well, I doubt we'd have any more classes together this year since we finished all the prerequisite classes last year."

"Ah, that's right. I guess I got too excited thinking you'd be in one of my classes again." Nozomi admitted with a small smile, her face lightly flushed with embarrassment.

 _'She's so cute when she blushes like that...'_ Eli thought before inwardly shaking her head; she needed to focus and not be gay.

Hah, good luck. Nozomi was like, the epitome of a gay person. Which, unfortunately for Eli, would result in many more embarrassing moments for her.

Not that Eli knew that though.

"Well, at least we'll be in the same area. The Psychology and Business department are pretty close to each other after all." Eli commented before averting her gaze after seeing the look on Nozomi's face.

"Aw, Elichi, you sound like you missed me." Nozomi teased and laughed when Eli started blushing. "But is there a reason why you signed up for Advanced Comp? I don't think Business majors need to take that class."

Eli laughed a bit nervously, not wanting to say that she wanted to have a class with Nozomi again and that she found out from Nico that Nozomi was signing up for the advanced class. She remembered Nico telling her how much of a lame dork she was when she found out Eli had signed up for the same class.

"It looks good when employers look at your resume. It's also beneficial for when you need to argue or negotiate." Eli responded and Nozomi nodded her head slowly, thinking that it was a good reason.

"That is true. So what days do you have classes then?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays, you?" Eli answered and this time, Nozomi was the one to react a bit sheepish.

 _'Ah, she's so cute.'_ Eli couldn't help the small smile from forming on her lips; Nozomi being remotely embarrassed was an uncommon occurrence and Eli always loved it because it was a side of Nozomi she barely saw. That, and she found it absolutely adorable.

Well, she found everything about Nozomi adorable.

"Tuesdays and Fridays. I signed up a bit late so the Thursday classes were full. I don't mind though, my teachers on Friday offer extra credit." Nozomi blushed a little before drinking the tea in order to distract herself from the piercing yet soft blue eyes staring right at her. After a moment, she continued with a relaxed sigh, "I'm happy I took summer classes on my first year. I got rid of some of the extra classes we have to take."

"That's true. I told Nico to take summer classes but she didn't listen to me. Now she has to take a History of Costume class on Mondays." Eli chuckled at the thought of Nico dying of boredom and Nozomi thought it was one of the best sounds she ever heard; it was somewhat deep and oddly calming.

"Since it seems like we'll see each other more often, why don't we get to know each other some more?" Nozomi asked with an amiable grin and Eli couldn't help but smile back.

"I think I'd like that."

Nozmi didn't need her cards to know that this year would be interesting.

* * *

 **AN:** I apologize if any characters come off ooc. Did anyone catch the hot nuggets reference though? If you haven't read that story yet, you should! Hot Nuggets by Roomie is a classic NozoEli. Some of the Aquors girls will be mentioned as teachers too—Dia was the one here if you didn't notice. But anyways, the next chapter will focus on Printemps! And Umi seeing a certain birb that she's been trying to forget ;)

As always, criticisms and reviews are much appreciated!

Edit: Changed Nozomi's major to Psychology cause I thought that suited her better. Also made Aqours TAs and changed some dialogue, but not too much.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Holy harasho, this is a long one (8k words). Sorry it took long but there's loads of KotoUmi, a large amount of TsubaHono, and hints of RinPana and NicoMaki. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Umi straightened her clothes, which consisted of a light blue jacket, white shirt, and black athletic shorts, prior to knocking on the door in front of her; she was raised to look presentable at every moment after all. She looked at her watch and frowned slightly at the time. As much as she wanted to do her usual workout, she had a guest to attend to back at home. Any future thoughts about time were interrupted when she heard excited thuds and yells, and she briefly wondered if Rin was okay. However, when the door opened, Umi felt her face pale.

"Woah, Umi-chan, whatcha doin here?" A very familiar ginger-haired woman asked with a wide grin and Umi inwardly groaned.

Kousaka Honoka was a person Umi—and the entire university—knew all too very well. Her penchant for bread and fun were basic facts about the ginger, and her undying optimism and passionate dislike for studying was something Umi found out within less than a minute of meeting her. She and Umi had the same writing class the year before and Umi had to help her out with her writing skills often (including her other classes because her grades were literal shit), which led to many hangouts including the object of Umi's affections because she was coincidentally Honoka's childhood friend. Along the way, the three became good friends because, well, it's Honoka. If anything, the ginger could make someone as aloof as Eli laugh, and that was an extremely rare occasion. She's _that_ friendly.

"Honoka-san, it's nice to see you." Umi greeted politely, making Honoka look at her with amusement.

"What's up with the formality Umi-chan? We've known each other for like, a year." Honoka playfully punched Umi on the shoulder and Umi couldn't help the chuckle that came out; the ginger's lightheartedness was contagious.

"Yes, yes. Honoka. There, I said it." Umi shook her head with mock-disappointment when Honoka hadn't let her in yet. Honoka caught on quickly and facepalmed.

"Oh, what am I doing. Come on in Umi-chan!" Honoka responded brightly and led the blue-haired woman in.

Umi let out a small smile at the interior of the house, momentarily wondering why she hadn't visited yet; it gave out a homey and comfortable atmosphere. The furniture and curtains were nicely arranged and the flowers complimented the color scheme well. There were pictures and art everywhere as well as—wait is that Kotori in several of them?

 _'How can I forget that Kotori lives with Honoka?_ ' Umi thought as she inwardly banged her head on an imaginary wall. Of all the things she had to forget, it had to be that. On the outside, she looked as calm as ever but on the inside, she was having a gay panic attack.

If Kotori was here, then that meant she had to interact with her. She had always been a bit socially awkward and factoring that into her current situation increased the chances of her embarrassing herself at an estimate of 65%. Adding Rin to the picture would raise it to 75% because she would probably catch on. The longer she stayed, the higher the percentage got.

Umi needed to drop the bag off and leave quickly.

"So whatcha doing here Umi-chan?" Honoka asked as she sat on the dining table, eating her bread with a content smile. Umi coughed to hide her nervousness before replying.

"I'm here to drop something my friend, Rin, left at home."

"Eh, Rin-chan? Oh yeah, she's with Hanayo-chan right now. Oh right. Hanayo-chan said you were coming soon but I forgot hehe." Honoka finished swallowing with a goofy grin and sheepish laugh, and Umi already knew she forgot because she was too immersed with her bread. After she was done, she yelled, "Rin-chan, Umi-chan is here!"

In approximately 0.3 seconds, Rin came out with another person, her smile brighter than ever. Umi's eyes trailed over to the woman next to her and immediately recognized her as the "Hanayo-chan" Honoka and Kotori loved to talk about. Their conversations were mostly about her love for rice and how cute she was, and Umi had to agree with them on the latter. Her soft cheeks and nervous purple eyes made Umi, and probably anyone else who saw her, want to protect her.

From what Umi remembered that Honoka and Kotori told her, Koizumi Hanayo wanted to become a teacher despite her timidity. She recalled the two telling her that the brunette loved interacting with children and as Umi eyed her, she immediately saw that she would do great; she had a gentle aura around her that would, without a doubt, be calming to children.

Unfortunately, it didn't work on Rin.

"Umi-chan! Umi-chan! Look, look, it's Kayo-chin!" Rin exclaimed as she excitedly brought the shy girl over, who was blushing so hard she looked like a tomato.

"A-Ah, hello Sonoda-san. My name is Koizumi Hanayo." Hanayo bowed politely and Rin pouted.

"Ne, Kayo-chin, no need to be all stiffy in front of Umi-chan. She looks intimidating but she wouldn't hurt a fly." Rin held Hanayo's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, grinning when she felt Hanayo relax and send her a grateful smile. Umi thought it was cute seeing two childhood friends reunited after so long. It made her want to tease them.

"Unless that fly did something bad. Then I would be inclined to hurt it." Umi replied smoothly, making Hanayo tense up again because, well, it's Umi. The blue-haired woman looked like she was royalty.

"Umi-chan, stop being mean to Kayo-chin!" Rin stuck her tongue out at Umi, who let out a silent chuckle. She then remembered why she was there and promptly sprang back to action.

"You left your bag at home, Rin." Umi gave Rin her bag and the orange-haired girl grinned sheepishly in reply. However, her grin was wiped off when Umi's brown eyes hardened and her brows furrowed, "Don't forget it next time. Who knows what could've happened to you? You could've gotten hurt and you wouldn't have been able to call us and—"

Oh no. Umi was in the zone.

Rin held back a groan when Umi went into one of her scolding rants and made eye contact with Honoka, who gave her a sympathetic look. Rin almost grinned at having found a comrade-in-arms but held it back; Umi would notice and proceed to tell her that whatever she was talking about was not a laughing matter, making her reprimands intensify tenfold. However, Rin was saved of Umi's lecture when the last occupant of the house decided to come out.

"Umi-chan?"

Umi stopped speaking mid-sentence and coughed uneasily at the woman who decided to show herself. She felt her face heat up slightly at the realization that she got too carried away with her lecture and that the person she had a crush on saw her.

She _knew_ she should've just dropped off the bag and left.

But honestly, Minami Kotori truly was an adorable person. The way a part of her grayish brown hair was styled with a small bun, the way she clutched the alpaca plushie in her hands, the way she sleepily grinned at Umi made her heart pound fast enough she thought it would burst—the design major had Umi wrapped around her finger and she didn't even know it.

Kotori was also well known at the university they went to. She was easily recognized by her unique hairstyle but what was most memorable was her incredible talent for designing, which was evident from her sketches, and her warm, sincere smile. It was as pleasant as the springtime breeze and the soft sounds of the birds chirping in the morning. It was as delightful as sipping cool water after an excruciatingly hot day. It was as breathtaking as—

 _'Maybe I should have gone into liberal arts.'_ Umi mused, stopping her current trail of thoughts before she got too deep into the wonder zone. It was like the roles had been switched: usually Umi was focused while Kotori was daydreaming.

"I knew I heard Umi-chan's voice." Kotori drowsily remarked as she rubbed her eyes with one hand, trying to wake herself up, and Umi was brought back to reality. She felt her cheeks warm when she realized she blanked out while looking at Kotori.

"Too early for the princess to wake up?" Honoka teased and Kotori pouted, making Umi blush harder.

"Honoka-chan, you meanie!"

 _'...way too cute...'_ Umi tried to control herself but she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Kotori. She felt her face redden at the sight of Kotori's languid smile and immediately averted her eyes, looking back at Honoka and wondering if it was okay for her to excuse herself and leave.

Unfortunately for Umi, Rin had caught the way she looked at Kotori and snickered, making Hanayo ask what she found funny. Rin just shook her head and sent Umi a mischievous grin, making Umi pale. It made Rin snicker again; it was amusing how Umi's face could go from tomato red to snow white.

"Ne, why don't we have Umi for lunch? She's already here and I bet you three wanna catch up with each other, nya!" Rin suggested and sent Honoka a wink, making the ginger grin with realization.

"I'm down!" Honoka agreed and sent Rin a hidden thumbs up, and Rin was really glad that she found a true comrade-in-arms.

Honoka definitely knew what was up. Rin wondered if she could rope her into some pranks when the school year started and couldn't help but grin wickedly. She bounced lightly in anticipation and Hanayo was starting to get worried. The last time Rin had this look on her face, the girls who had bullied her back in their elementary school went home crying for a reason she never knew even up to now.

"Are you up for it, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked, fully awake at Rin's suggestion, and Umi looked at the two expectant figures nervously. She _really_ should have just dropped the bag off and left. The chances of her embarrassing herself had increased exponentially.

"W-Well, I did tell Nozomi that I would be back soon and I still need to do my workout—" Umi started but Honoka waved her off.

"You can just text her or something."

"And you work out all the time! I think you can handle a day off, nya! If you work out too much, you might get too buff and _no one_ likes that."

Umi pointedly ignored Rin's hidden gesture towards Kotori and hummed noncommittally.

"That's right. Umi-chan, please?" Kotori pleaded and Umi let out a deep breath. How could she say no when Kotori looked at her with those puppy eyes?

"Alright. I can stay for lunch. But Rin and I have to go back home for dinner." Umi replied and couldn't help but smile when the room erupted in cheers; it felt nice to know that there were people who genuinely wanted to spend time with her.

"Rin-chan, check this out!"

"No way, you got the new fighting game?! Let's play it, nya!"

"Rin-chan, be careful—"

"Whatcha talking bout Kayo—Ow!"

Umi sighed when Rin tripped on her way to the couch but kept moving forward, grinning and reassuring Hanayo all the while. It reminded her of Honoka, who always kept moving forward no matter what. Maybe that was the reason why Umi became good friends with her; Honoka and Rin were always shining brightly and never failed to bring color into the worlds of those around them.

"Rin-chan is like Honoka-chan, right?" A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts and Umi was brought out of her musings. She looked to her side and saw Kotori with her usual warm smile. "That's what you were thinking now, right Umi-chan?" It was scary how her intuition was on point; it reminded her of Nozomi.

"Yeah, those two sure are alike." Umi responded with a hum as she walked over to the table, cleaning up Honoka's plate with Kotori walking by her side, "But that only means I've got another troublemaker to look after."

Umi absentmindedly wondered if Kotori really was an angel, especially with the way that her giggles sounded so heavenly and how her smiles always felt so real and wholehearted. Before she could think any more, she felt a hand rest on top of hers.

"Umi-chan, I'll wash that. It would be rude if I let a guest wash something that's not theirs." Kotori said and Umi flushed slightly before handing over the plate to her.

"I'm sorry." Umi replied and Kotori waved her off with a small smile.

"It's nothing to be sorry about. I know you're probably used to doing things like this at your place." Kotori started with a grin as she washed the plate before continuing, "I like how responsible Umi-chan is but now that I think about it, I like all the sides of Umi-chan!"

Umi felt her cheeks warm at the statement before stuttering, "T-Thank you. I like you the way you are too."

When Kotori was finished, the two walked over to the dining table and sat next to each other, making small talk about school and classes while occasionally glancing at Honoka and Rin, who excitedly battled each other. Hanayo was at Rin's side, clutching the alpaca plushie that used to be in Kotori's hands. Whenever Rin lost, Hanayo would pat her head in comfort and whenever Rin won, she would become excited with her. Umi thought their dynamics were amazing; they acted as if they hadn't gone to different middle and high schools. They were still as close as ever.

In addition, when Umi talked with Kotori, she realized that her heart was beating normally, escalating only when Kotori complimented or teased her. She found that she had nothing to fear about when she was in the presence of the ashen-haired woman, that there was no need to worry about talking with her because there was something that made their conversations run smoothly. In fact, if Umi was in any way awkward, Kotori made no show of it.

This was great. It lowered the probability of embarrassing herself at least 45%.

"Umi-chan, have you texted Nozomi-chan yet?" Kotori asked after a while and Umi shook her head.

"I forgot, thanks for reminding me." Umi shot her a small smile before she took out her phone and texted Nozomi.

 _"I'll be eating lunch with Hanayo's roommates so there's no need to wait for me."_

 _"alright~ i was thinking of eating out today anyways :)"_

Umi sighed lightly, knowing that Eli was the reason she was going to go out to buy food.

 _"What about her roommates?"_

 _"and you call me psychic? :P anyways elichi said nicocchi is treating maki-chan out for lunch. she got her paycheck recently ^.^"_

Umi looked at the emojis with slight amusement; she always wondered why Nozomi texted like that. She hummed in wonder and was about to pocket her phone but felt it vibrate. Her eyes opened marginally at what Nozomi sent.

 _"oh but is there a reason why you're eating there? ;)"_

 _'That woman knows everything, I swear.'_

 _"Honoka lives with Hanayo and they invited me."_

 _"that means kotori-chan is there then~ good luck umi-chan ;) i'll send you some spiritual power :)"_

Umi felt her eye twitch before locking her phone and putting it in her pocket. She looked back up to tell Kotori that Nozomi was fine with her staying only to flush slightly when she caught amber eyes staring at her. Kotori's hand was brought up to her cheek and she was smiling softly, and Umi couldn't help but stare back. After what seemed like an eternity, Kotori blinked and the trance was broken.

"Was she fine with it?" Kotori asked, somewhat embarrassed that she was staring and Umi nodded, afraid that her voice would give way.

The awkward silence was interrupted by Honoka's loud cheers and Rin's complaints. The two looked over to see Hanayo comforting Rin as usual and Honoka grinning widely at her victory.

Honoka was always bursting with raw energy and passion that it reminded Umi of summer. Sometimes she exploded so violently that she took others down with her. Other times she shined so bright that it either blinded or reflected off of everyone. So if Honoka was summer, then she would be winter; they were opposites after all, and people have always considered her to be a cold beauty.

But then what would Kotori be? Would she be fall or spring?

Umi concluded it was the latter because she made her feel alive. She made her heart race, her skin flush, her thoughts run astray—things she never felt about another person, which was crazy considering how popular she was back in high school. The amount of girls that were, she had to admit, beautiful and talented were high but none had managed to catch her eye. None except for Kotori.

No one was as kindhearted and genuine as her.

"Umi-chan?"

Umi blinked and realized that she blanked out while staring at Kotori, which was something that was happening way too often. She coughed to hide her nervousness and Kotori giggled.

"What were you thinking so hard about?"

Umi hated the way her eyes gleamed with mischievousness because it made her heart race. She hated the way her smile was so soft and genuine because it made her conscious of how unique and special she was. She especially hated the way that she had her wrapped around her finger without even trying. But as she thought about it, she realized she didn't really hate it—it was actually the opposite.

Maybe love wasn't as bad as it seemed.

* * *

Kotori absentmindedly wondered if Umi had caught on.

She heard many rumors about the blue-haired woman, about how accomplished and beautiful she was. It wasn't until she actually met her that she understood everyone's point of view.

She remembered the first day she saw Umi like it was yesterday. She was relaxing at the park nearby the residential area because she was still nervous about college life. Amidst her failed attempts of calming herself down, she saw Umi running along one of the paths the park had. She didn't know who she was at the time, but Umi still caught her eye. Her posture was perfect and every movement was somehow filled with grace. Her long blue hair was tied in a ponytail, flowing against the wind. Her shorts rode up and down as she ran, revealing her long legs. Her shirt clung to her skin and showed off her slim but toned body, which Kotori was slightly jealous of.

But that wasn't what she found memorable.

It was when she stopped running and smiled softly at a child whose ball had gone astray and almost hit her. The way she consoled the child and taught her how to throw correctly, the way she laughed when the child pouted, the way her chocolate eyes looked at the child with nostalgia—it made Kotori wonder who was the mysterious, perfect person she came across. After all, it was hard to find someone who was beautiful, elegant, _and_ good with children.

Of course, it wasn't their first official meeting. That came weeks later on the first day of class when Honoka decided to make friends with the "frowning blue-haired lady whose stare makes me wanna bury myself in a hole but she looks pretty chill and she's probably not that bad". Kotori ended up stuttering when she introduced herself because the person she was secretly watching at the park weeks ago was the same person everyone said was "sexy, smart, but stiff as hell".

It felt weird knowing a different side of Umi that no one probably ever saw save for her roommates, but Kotori thought that all the sides Umi showed were lovable. The days when she would scold Honoka, smile unconsciously, glare at contemptible people, laugh lightly, blush softly—Kotori found it all charming. It didn't take her very long to figure out that she had fallen for her.

So when Umi was looking at her with such intensity, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her mind.

"Umi-chan?"

Umi blinked and coughed uneasily, making Kotori giggle because she knew that was what Umi did whenever she felt nervous.

"What were you thinking about?"

When Umi blushed lightly, Kotori already knew she was thinking about something that she found embarrassing. However, for Umi, the term "embarrassing" was attached to a ridiculously large amount of things, including romance movies (which Kotori thought were fun to watch and weren't embarrassing at all). So, in order to reassure her best friend, she sent Umi a comforting smile that essentially meant "it's okay to talk because I won't judge you", knowing that little gestures like these helped out the blue-haired woman.

It worked, seeing as how Umi shot her a grateful smile.

"I was looking at Honoka earlier and couldn't help but think of summer." Umi started slowly and Kotori tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "She's always exuberant and irrepressible that it creates a domino effect, making those around her feel the same. Sometimes, like the sun, she becomes too hot and ends up hurting others. But it's undeniable that without her, everything would be different. Maybe the days will feel colder, the nights freezing. Maybe the atmosphere will feel less vibrant and more lackluster, but I think it's safe to say that her explosive passion for living life to the fullest has certainly affected the minds of many."

"Including you, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked, smiling softly because Umi's brief comparison of Honoka and summer showed how much she cared about her. It was amazing how Umi regarded her surroundings with such a poetic attitude; it was one of the things Kotori loved the most.

Umi let out a small sigh, glancing at the energetic ginger before chuckling and looking back at Kotori. Kotori loved her eyes, loved the way they expressed exactly what she was feeling. And right now, her eyes held a mix of amusement and affection.

"Definitely."

"Then what about you?" Kotori leaned forward with her hands on her cheeks, looking at Umi expectantly.

"Winter." Umi answered immediately, and Kotori had to hold back a giggle because she knew exactly why Umi thought she was categorized as such. "I admit I'm a bit cold towards others and many see me as such anyways. Winter is devoid of life and brings upon icy temperatures—"

"But that's not why you should be winter." Kotori interrupted with a small smile, making Umi look at her questioningly, "Winter may be cold, but it only makes us more conscious of each other's warmth, of each other's existence. And when snow falls down from the skies and cover the ground, it's breathtakingly beautiful. Some days it descends tranquilly, other days it falls down rather intensely. But it's still a spectacular and magnificent spectacle to observe."

Umi blushed at the poorly-hidden compliment, and Kotori felt her smile widen at the sight of her eyes darting downwards in bashfulness. Deciding to take mercy on her (because as much as she loved embarrassing Umi, she knew she had a limit), she changed the subject.

"So what would I be then?" Kotori asked, but Umi's response was inaudible, making Kotori repeat her question. She could see the inner conflict in Umi's mocha eyes and briefly wondered if she should push the subject or not, but Umi ended up answering.

"...spring." Umi responded louder, the blush still apparent on her cheeks, before continuing because she knew that Kotori wanted to know why, "Spring is the season of new life, and..."

Kotori couldn't hear what Umi was saying because she trailed off and started to mumble, occasionally glancing down to the floor before looking back up, a clear indication of her nervousness and embarrassment. After a moment, Kotori saw Umi steel herself and formulate a comprehensible response.

"I always thought your smile was as beautiful as flowers blooming across a field and as dazzling as the stars shining in the night sky. Some days it's as refreshing as the springtime breeze. Other days it's as pleasant as laying down on a bed after an exhausting day. Nonetheless, it brings life to those around you," Umi explained as she felt her face redden with each word, "especially me."

Kotori felt her heat rush up to her cheeks and covered them, looking at Umi with surprise. She didn't know Umi had seen her in that type of way and resisted jumping up and down with excitement; it wasn't every day that your crush told you that they loved your smile. But when Umi looked away in embarrassment, Kotori couldn't help but want to hug her.

"Umi-chan~" Kotori replied in a sing-song voice as she went up to glomp her. "Umi-chan is so cute!"

"K-Kotori—"

"Umi-chan, thank you." Kotori interrupted, her voice becoming a whisper as she nestled her head on Umi's shoulder. She kept her arms around Umi's neck and felt her body slowly ease into the embrace as she hugged her back. Kotori pulled away moments after because there were still others occupying the room and she didn't want Honoka and Rin to embarrass Umi. So in hopes of keeping Umi by her side longer, she asked, "Do you want to help me make lunch?"

Umi only gave her the same soft smile she saw her give the child when she first saw her—the same smile that Kotori fell in love with.

"Of course."

But with Honoka and Rin in the same room, the moment didn't last very long.

* * *

"Kotori-chan! Umi-chan! Guess what, guess what!" Honoka bounded over towards the two, who pulled away into a respectable distance once they heard Honoka's excited yells, with Rin and Hanayo close behind her.

Honoka was a bit confused as to why both Umi and Kotori had light blushes on their faces but didn't mind it that much. She knew Umi had a thing for Kotori after their fourth study session (she caught her staring at Kotori at least six times in the span of 10 minutes and she was easily prone to embarrassment in front of her) and that Kotori liked Umi based off of how much she had been daydreaming as of late. The two were probably just blanking out on each others faces.

"What's up Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked, genuinely curious when Honoka was bouncing up and down.

"Tsubasa-chan texted me!" Honoka replied with excitement and Umi raised her eyebrow.

" _Kira Tsubasa?_ " Umi responded, her face contorted into one of disbelief and suspicion, and Honoka groaned. Of all the times that Papa Umi had to come out, it had to be now.

Well to be fair, one couldn't walk into their university without hearing about the Notorious Nine, and Honoka was proud to be a part of it.

There were the upcoming third years, which consisted of Ayase Eli, Toujou Nozomi, and Yazawa Nico. Eli made her name as the "Ice Queen" when she first stepped into the school because she roasted a guy so hard when he tried hitting on her that he cried. That, and she was literally the epitome of exotic with her long, blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and hourglass figure. She seemed to have calmed down as of late, which was probably a result of her befriending Nozomi, who was really friendly but scary as hell because she somehow knew _everything_. She was known for her creepily accurate tarot card readings and pranks. She too had her fair share of suitors thanks to her huge _ass_ ets, but they started to back off once she started hanging out with Eli because her glares could probably lower the temperature at least 15 degrees. Then, there was the infamous Yazawa Nico, who was the talented designer/party girl that everyone either liked, hated, or obsessed over. There was no in between.

The other set of upcoming third years consisted of Yuuki "Princess" Anju, Toudou Erena, and Kira Tsubasa. Anju earned the title of princess because of her family's wealth, but she sure didn't act like one. She was very sweet and wasn't really burdened about the weight of her family name. In fact, she was really hard to faze. The only time Honoka saw her angry was when some random thot made out with Erena, her girlfriend. Erena was the type of mature person who would willingly be the designated driver, so there was no way that happened on purpose. Speaking of Erena, she was a really respectful person who never looked down on anyone. Honoka thought she was pretty awesome because she was hella nice and played that one sport that rich people play on a horse, which is pretty cool sport to play. Lastly was Tsubasa, who was humble but competitive, which was evident when it came to finals week; apparently there was a showdown between her and Eli when they were first years over test answers and things got heated up. Honoka thought she was charming and admirable, especially with her almost perfect grades. She was also really chill and friendly, and Honoka was glad to be friends with her and her group of friends.

Honoka made it into the Notorious Nine after she started all of her classes with a 30% (don't ask) but managed to pass with a 80% by the end of the year (god bless Umi and Kotori's souls). Also, it was because she usually asked around for bread and made a lot of friends that way.

Umi made it in pretty quick; she had the looks, the brains, and the creepy fanclubs (you'd think college students would be mature enough, but some of the girls attending were _crazy_ ). Her name rose into prominence after she filed a restraining order and publicly announced that she wouldn't hesitate to submit another one. Oh, it was also because she was really hot. Seriously. She's the living example of a yamato nadeshiko.

Kotori's name became well known soon after too, especially because of her kindhearted personality and beautiful drawings (she called them sketches, which made Honoka feel jealous. It would take her like a year to replicate one of her "sketches"). It was also because she accidentally dropped a set of her illustrations, which were all on separate paper, in the cafeteria and her popularity exploded from then on. Honoka told her to sell them so she wouldn't have to work part-time at the cafe anymore but Umi hit her head at the suggestion, muttering about the consequences of establishing a black market and the stress Kotori would have if she had too many requests.

Speaking of Umi, the reason why she was looking at Honoka suspiciously was because there was a party a couple weeks ago that Tsubasa, Erena, and Anju attended. Umi was fine with parties, but she wasn't fine with what the three did.

They drunkenly took an alpaca and let it loose in the campus, resulting in a small amount of property damage (it ate some grass and took a huge shit on someone's car). The only reason why it happened, and will never happen again, was because Erena was supposed to be the designated driver but Anju spiked her drinks. The three didn't get in trouble because the alpaca belonged to one of Anju's many multi-purpose companies and got off the hook with a strict warning. Honoka swears her family owned a zoo, but she can't really remember.

"Yeah, yeah, it's _that_ Tsubasa-chan. But wouldn't that have been fun to experience Umi-chan?" Honoka replied with a grin and Umi scoffed.

"I don't know about stealing an animal—"

"Umi-chan, calm down. She technically owned the alpaca. Plus, it's an alpaca! Oh, I wish I was there." Kotori interrupted with a dreamy smile before giggling softly to herself, "I bet it was soft and fluffy." She and Hanayo sighed together, thinking about their favorite animal.

"Okay, okay, we've gone off track now, nya! Honks, tell them what the text said!" Rin patted Honoka excitedly on the back while Umi gave her a weird look.

"Honks?"

"Here, look at it, look at it!" Honoka cut in, shoving her phone towards Kotori and Umi.

 _"sorry its a bit last minute but would you like to go out for lunch? its on me! but if you cant make it, its okay :)"_

"Kyaa~" Kotori squealed while Umi's eyebrow twitched, "Is this what I think it is?"

"It better not be what I think it is." Umi grumbled as she glared at the phone, making Honoka pout, "I didn't even know you two knew each other."

"Ehh? We're just friends Umi-chan! And we met a while back before finals. Jeez, you always blow things outta proportion."

What Honoka said was true. She really was just friends with Tsubasa. She met her a couple months ago when she was looking for some bread because the cafeteria ran out and she needed something to motivate her for finals. They hit it off pretty well and started texting each other. As days turned into weeks, Honoka had admitted to herself that she wanted to be more than friends with her. In her opinion, Tsubasa was such an awesome person. Aside from having rich friends and being really smart, she was an amazing cook, which was a hell of a compliment from Honoka, who was in culinary arts. It made her wonder if it was okay to ask her to cook something instead of going out the next time they hung out.

"It's okay, it's okay Umi-chan! Tsubasa-san and her friends are all very kind and mature." Kotori giggled when Umi just hummed noncommittally.

"I'm not sure about Anju-san."

"Aw, c'mon Umi-chan. You're always so harsh on Honoka-chan."

"And you're always too easy on her. You spoil her too much."

"It's not like they're going out on a romantic date, right Honoka-chan?"

Honoka laughed at the sight of her two best friends fussing over her. It was endearing and adorable how they acted more like her parents than friends sometimes.

"No, we're not like that. Although I wouldn't mind being like that." Honoka wagged her eyebrows at Umi, who playfully chopped her head.

"You will be back at 3pm at the latest. If you aren't here, I won't help you at all for math this year." Umi ordered and Honoka groaned.

"Mama, Papa is being mean again!" Honoka whined as she hugged Kotori, who giggled at her antics and patted her head in comfort.

"Umi-chan, stop being so mean!"

"B-But—W-Wha? P-Papa?" Umi sputtered out, making the four girls (Honoka forgot that Rin and Hanayo were still present and cackled, knowing that Rin probably snapped a pic or something) laughed.

"Go get ready, nya! Before she comes to her senses!" Rin giggled with a knowing wink, pushing Honoka and she dashed into her room. The last thing she saw was Umi rooted in the same position with Kotori and Hanayo giggling at her.

"What to wear..." Honoka mumbled to herself before realizing that she hadn't responded to the text yet, "Ah, silly me."

 _"i can go! wanna meet up there?"_

The reply was instantaneous and Honoka couldn't help but grin in turn. It was nice to know that Tsubasa wanted to invest her time with her.

 _"i'm around the area actually so i can pick you up."_

 _"really? thanks :) what time you coming?"_

 _"i'll be there in like 15 min, just dropping off erena and anju to their flat :/"_

Right. Honoka called that place the "Flat of Doom" because whenever Erena and Anju were there and she passed by it (it was on the way to get groceries), all she heard were some _very_ suspicious sounds. Ew.

 _"i hope you cleaned your car seats lol"_

 _"dont worry! im only giving them a ride cause these rich kids were too lazy. also cause i knew you were in the area and i wanted to hang out with you :)"_

Honoka blushed before slapping her cheeks. She needed to get ready, not drool over the thought of Tsubasa wanting to spend time with her.

 _"aww im always down to hang out with you tbh just hmu anytime :) imma get ready now, see you soon!"_

 _"alrighty! take your time, i dont mind waiting :)"_

Honoka promptly jumped on her bed and squealed into her pillow. Tsubasa was always such a gentlewoman and she was so chill and pretty and—

 _'She makes it so hard to not like her!'_ Honoka thought with a groan before getting up; she still needed to get ready.

She got her comb and brushed her hair while looking for clothes to wear. In the end, she decided on denim short shorts, a white tank top, and a light brown cardigan. Once she was ready and looked presentable, she got her bag and left her room.

"I'll be going now!" Honoka shouted to the occupants of the house. Hanayo and Rin were watching TV while Kotori was trying to calm Umi down in the living room.

Keyword: trying.

Honoka snorted when Umi's blush never faded and only intensified at the sight of Kotori fussing over her. What a loser. Those two needed to get together already. Maybe she'll get Rin to work with her to whip up something good. Kotori deserved it after all.

"Have fun Honoka-chan!" Hanayo encouraged with a small wave and a shy smile, making Honoka squeal and rush up to her to give her a hug. Hanayo was so adorable.

"Don't have _too_ much fun." Rin said with a wink, making Honoka laugh and playfully nudge her arm.

"I should be saying that to you~" Honoka replied, making Rin blush, before whispering, "Take care of Hanayo-chan for me, yeah?"

"Honoka-chan?" Hanayo looked at her two best friends curiously but Honoka just grinned and waved her off.

Maybe she'll whip something up for Hanayo too; she and Rin were so obvious about each other but were so cute about it that Honoka found it hard to be mad. Maybe she'll get Nozomi to help; she probably knew the two had enrolled in their university because of her "all-knowing" cards.

"Hehehe, bye Kotori-chan, Umi-chan!" Honoka resumed her exit, giggling when she heard Umi's repeated yells of, "Be back by 3pm!" and Kotori's attempts to calm her down.

When she left the house and walked out, she felt her phone vibrate.

 _"im across the street!"_

True to Tsubasa's word, she was parked on the other side of the street. Honoka grinned as she ran towards the BMW and opened the door to the passenger seat, unable to control her excitement.

"I hope you didn't wait too long." Honoka said when she got in, making Tsubasa shake her head and smile.

"I just got here a minute ago. You look pretty." Tsubasa commented offhandedly, making Honoka blush and grin wider.

"You're the pretty one here! And hey, we're matching!" Honoka replied with a playful wink, making Tsubasa laugh. She wasn't lying; Tsubasa did look good in her brown long-sleeve and black short shorts. "So where we goin?"

"At the cafe nearby. They have some really good lunch specials." Tsubasa responded as she turned the car on and started driving, "That, and I don't feel like paying for valet."

"And you're calling Anju and Erena lazy?" Honoka joked, making Tsubasa playfully punch her on the shoulder, "Hey! Keep your eyes on the road!"

"Yes, yes." Tsubasa laughed, making Honoka smile. It was always nice to see Tsubasa so relaxed and content, not that she wasn't always like that. Just seeing her having fun made Honoka feel happy.

The conversation drifted into small talk until they got to the parking lot. From there on, it was comfortably quiet. Tsubasa held the door open for Honoka, who grinned at the gesture. The two then sat in one of the many booths, skimming the menu for something to eat after their waiter left.

"I heard the Chef's Special Spaghetti and omelets are the best around here." Tsubasa said as they looked at the menu and Honoka hummed thoughtfully before grinning broadly.

"Alright! Then I'll get the omelet with a side of garlic bread." Honoka decided and Tsubasa chuckled at Honoka's energy and obvious love for bread before she called the waiter over. "You know what to get already?"

"Yeah, I've been here once with Anju and Erena and I personally like their tonkatsu curry." Tsubasa replied before facing the waiter, "One omelet, tonkatsu curry, and a side of garlic bread please."

"Of course." The waiter responded before taking their menus and leaving, leaving Honoka and Tsubasa alone again.

"So what have you been up to?" Tsubasa asked and Honoka shrugged.

"Getting ready for the school year. I got one of the administers to let me have Sakurauchi-san _and_ Takami-san this year though, so that should be fun." Honoka giggled absentmindedly at the thought while Tsubasa raised her eyebrow.

"I understand Sakurauchi-san since you're in culinary arts but doesn't Takami-san teach a communications class?" Tsubasa asked and Honoka nodded.

"My parents said they won't let me take over the restaurant unless I took that class. Something about being too loud." Honoka laughed a bit nervously before continuing, "I can't wait though. Takami-san is so fun and I heard that it's hilarious seeing her barge into Sakurauchi-san's discussions all the time. And I heard that she knows the right people for the mandatory 2 year internship I gotta do next year!"

"Hm, at least you have some exciting TAs. I don't think I have any this year, both for TAs and professors." Tsubasa said before clicking her tongue, "But I did have Ohara-san last year for foreign language. It was fun seeing her joke around with Kurosawa-san last year."

"Oh, the one with the brown hair right?"

"Yeah. Isn't it a bit weird that there are two Kurosawa-sans? Imagine seeing your little sister at the same university you're teaching in."

"Eh? I can imagine seeing my sister coming here but I can't imagine teaching."

The two laughed at that but their attention on each other was taken away by the sound of a door opening and a booming voice.

"Nico-nii is here!"

Honoka couldn't believe this was the first time she saw Nico. She heard so much about her but she had never seen her. From what she heard from Kotori, she was an interesting character. She seemed a bit short and her hairstyle made her look more cute than mature but for some reason she had a captivating appearance. Maybe it was her crimson eyes or how her curves were all in the right places (except for her chest). Or maybe it was because she still looked like a highschooler despite being in college.

It was probably that.

"Can you stop saying that? It's so annoying." came a grumble and Honoka's eyes moved over to the figure next to Nico. She had red hair, violet eyes, a nice figure, a wonderful voice, and at least four inches on Nico. Her posture clearly showed her annoyance but it was still poised and straight, kind of like how Umi looked whenever she was irritated with her.

"Jeez, I treat you out and you treat me like this? I guess you can walk home and pay for yourself then." Nico stuck her tongue out at her friend, who just sighed and pinched her cheek. "O-Ow! That hurts!"

"First of all, we drove my car here. Second of all, I don't mind paying cause I have more than enough money to spare. Third of all, shut up and take a seat; you're making a scene." There was fire in both of their eyes, and Honoka couldn't help be amused at how intense they were.

"Say, do you know who that is?" Honoka turned around to Tsubasa, who hummed in reply. Honoka noted the slight surprise her face held and wondered why she was shocked.

"I didn't expect Nishikino Maki to be attending our university. Our school is one of the best, but there are other universities that have better nursing programs."

"Woah, that's Nishikino Maki?" Honoka gasped and turned around to look at the two again. They were sitting down at one of the booths in the corner but she could still make out the tuft of red hair. They seemed to have calmed down, much to Honoka's surprise. She thought they would be at each other's throats considering the scene they made earlier.

The Nishikinos owned a chain of hospitals in the city and were renowned doctors. Of course, this meant that they were loaded, which made Honoka wonder why the two were eating here and not some five-star restaurant.

"Yeah. I knew Nico-san worked here but I didn't think she was friends with Nishikino-san. They seem close." Tsubasa commented and their food came right then. "But how about we get started on this food? It's not going to eat itself."

"Oh right, Umi-chan wants me home by 3pm." The two giggled at Umi's overprotectiveness and started to eat.

"It's only 12pm right now though. Do you want to do anything after?" Tsubasa asked, pausing as she ate and Honoka nodded excitedly.

"There's a new arcade place that opened up last week. I've been wanting to try it out but Kotori-chan and I have been taking Hanayo-chan around to get her used to the environment."

"Alright, so it's a date then?" Tsubasa asked absentmindedly before choking on her food and clearing her throat, "I-I mean, if you want it to be, it can be a date."

What.

Of all the things Honoka expected to happen today, going out on an actual date with her crush wasn't one of them. She found it cute at how hard Tsubasa was blushing and couldn't help but smile widely, her own cheeks heating up with embarrassment.

"It's a date," Honoka started before leaning forward to put her hands under her chin and continuing, "but next time I wanna try your cooking."

As good as Tsubasa looked in brown, Honoka thought that red was a better color.

* * *

 **AN:** This took me so long to write and I hope they weren't too ooc. By the way, "thot" means "that hoe over there", which is basically a hoe. And I hope it's not weird how Aqours are their professors. Well, expect some random shit happening during their classes because the Aqours anime rn is a walking meme bomb lol. I apologize if there's any grammatical errors too.

Next up will be the long awaited dinner between Bibi and lily white! It probably won't be the same length but expect some hella NicoMaki.

As for how the first years will make a name of themselves, you guys can throw in some ideas ^.^ I was thinking of a dope prank from Rin but those are hard to think of lol. Maybe for Maki it will be some attitude towards some guy who tries hitting on her like how Eli roasted that one dude. And maybe Hanayo will just be the cute cinnamon roll everyone wants to protect or something. Idk lol it's like 5am rn. Well, until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** I'm lmao because I said that this chapter would probably be less than the last one but it ended up being 6k. Well, here's some hella NicoMaki with some subtle NozoEli and hints of KotoUmi. I'm excited for the next chapters because that's when some stupid pranks and attempts of matchmaking will occur, but at the same time I'm gonna be hella busy with school so the next update may come later than expected. Oh well. I hope you enjoy! And sorry if they're ooc.

* * *

"Okay, how do I look?"

"With your eyes."

A sharp inhale followed by an aggravated exhale.

"Maki," came the irritated voice, "I don't have time for your dumb, snarky remarks. Just tell me if this looks fine."

"If fine meant try-hard then yes, you look fine."

"Maki!" Nico responded with exasperation, making the taller girl sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. You look okay. Now can we go?" Maki rolled her eyes as she leaned on the wall, making Nico frown. Why did Maki always have to look good at everything she does? It really didn't help that her body matured a lot either; she was at least 4 inches taller and 2 cup sizes bigger than Nico. A shame her personality didn't match.

"I don't understand why you're going all out for a simple dinner with our neighbors." Maki commented, annoyed as she looked down at her watch which, of course, was designer. That redhead really was too rich for her own good.

"Maki, you and I have known Eli for a long time. She texted me that she was going out to eat with our new neighbor, and if that doesn't hint something to you, then you're oblivious to the point of stupidity." Nico replied as she straightened her clothes, which consisted of red short shorts and a beige sweater with a pale red horizontal stripe across the front. She could feel Maki's glare even though she was meters away and chose to ignore it; Nico was only saying the truth after all.

The more Nico thought about her new neighbors, the more confused she got. Eli was a very cautious person who, despite being well-mannered, kept her distance from most people, so it was odd that she agreed to eat somewhere with someone she barely met. Unless, of course, that someone was Nozomi but that would be too much of a coincidence, right? It's not like the gods hated Nico that much either; she was blessed with a sociable personality, good looks, and really loyal (rich) friends.

Speaking of friends, Nico glanced over to Maki, who had stopped glaring and now looked at her phone disinterestedly, and shook her head; the redhead just wore one of her usual hoodies and jeans. It didn't mean that they weren't expensive because they were pretty damn expensive (who the hell buys a $150 hoodie anyways? Maki does apparently).

When Maki looked up, she caught Nico looking at her with a frown and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "Is there a problem?"

Nick sighed before moving away from the mirror and heading over to Maki, tugging at the hem of her hoodie with a pout, "You'd look so much cuter if you actually tried dressing nice."

"So basically you want me to attract even more attention." Maki deadpanned and Nico pouted again.

Maki was right. She already had beautiful red hair and a prestigious family name, both which turned heads no matter what she did. Nico guessed that she just wanted to see the redhead look nice for once, considering how she'd only ever seen her in her high school uniform (which was sorta cute) and her casual wear. That, and Maki had a model figure. What a waste of potential.

"Whatever, let's just go. Eli texted me that dinner is ready."

"Just don't make a scene like what you did during lunch. It's annoying."

"Hey! I got us discounts there so you should be considerate."

"You got us a discount because you worked there, Nico-chan. And it was only 20% off anyways." Maki pointed out and Nico glared at her.

"I treat you out and you're still acting like a brat." Nico grumbled as she opened the door and walked forward, leaving Maki behind to lock the door.

Nico turned around when she heard Maki sigh and refused to admit that she looked sexy when she ran her fingers through her hair. Or that she liked it whenever Maki looked at her with uncertainty (because Maki _always_ knew everything and _always_ planned everything out). So when Maki walked up to her and grasped her hand carefully, like she was afraid Nico would swat it away, Nico could only look at her with bewilderment. Seeing her confusion, Maki quickly started to explain herself.

"Look, I'm sorry. My parents may have taught me not to be reckless with money but that still doesn't stop me from buying the more expensive brands. You actually work to earn what you have so...thanks for treating me out today." Maki apologized before biting her bottom lip and continuing with a smaller voice, "And I guess I should be more considerate."

She looked so sincerely apologetic that it struck a chord in Nico's heart. That being said, it took Nico all of her willpower to not pull the redhead down to kiss her.

Maki was a lot better at communicating her feelings now, which meant that apologies were easier for her to formulate. However, it also meant that she was more honest with herself and whenever she would say something genuine towards Nico, her heart would beat so stupidly fast that she would get embarrassed for no reason. Which was exactly what was happening right now.

 _'Screw this crush on Maki.'_ Nico thought as she focused on keeping her breathing normal. Nico found it easier to hide it when Maki was in high school but now she's in university. The same university she was going to. Not only does Nico have to see (and fend off) people who drool all over her, but now she has to see her fooling around with some random person. Well, Maki had really high standards but still, there was a chance.

But you know what? The great Nico nii never gives up, so she'll have to sweep Maki off her feet before someone else does.

Well, later, because as great as Nico Nii was, she wasn't a miracle worker and could only work with so many problems at a time. For instance, Nico still had to find who was able to gain Eli's trust so quickly.

"It's fine, Maki, really. Let's go find out who made friends with Eli within a day." Nico responded with a reassuring smile as she walked towards their neighbors house, choosing not to let go of Maki's hand because it was a rare occurrence. She hoped her hand didn't feel as sweaty as she thought it would be.

Once they reached the door, Nico mustered up the most friendly smile she could have and knocked on the door, expecting some really hot or nice girl (because Eli was as straight as a circle, which really surprised Nico when she found out back in high school) only to make a disgusted face when the door opened.

"Oh my! Nicocchi, what a surprise." an unfortunately familiar voice greeted.

Nico could feel her eyebrow twitch with irritation. She totally saw through Nozomi's smile, knowing that she was lying through her teeth. Nico knew instantly that Nozomi knew that she would be coming over because of Eli. In fact, it all made sense now. The weirdly excited texts Eli sent to Nico about going out to eat with their new neighbor, the stupid texts from Nozomi about her fight with Maki about grades (which really creeped Nico out because as far as she knew at the time, Nozomi wasn't with Eli during the call so she should've had no way of knowing), and the fact that Eli would never hide anything but her gayness from Nozomi. After all, the blonde did have a big dumb crush on her.

"It's always nice to see you, tits." Nico replied sarcastically, backing away slightly and trying to casually drop Maki's hand when Nozomi leaned forward with a knowing grin.

Crap. She totally saw that.

"Aw, Nicocchi why are you being so rude? And Maki-chan, it really is nice to see you in person. After all, Nicocchi has told me much about you," Nozomi ignored Nico's glare and winked at the redhead, who turned slightly red because no matter how much time had passed, she was still a bit socially awkward, "but do come on in, the food is ready."

"Maki, Nico. Glad you made it." Eli greeted from the couch as the two walked in and Nico glared at her, making the blonde look at her questioningly. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah." Nico admitted before looking at Nozomi, who just had on her usual playful smile. "It's just that from the way you texted me I thought you met someone...important."

"You're breaking my heart Nicocchi."

"Good."

"That's not how you're supposed treat your host." Nozomi responded with a grin as she patted Nico's head, and in turn Nico tried to bite at her hand.

Screw Nozomi. Nico had to deal with a whole year of her and Eli acting like a married couple and now Nozomi was her neighbor. Ugh, it's like the gods wanted her to suffer.

It seemed like Nozomi knew what Nico was thinking considering how she snickered at her, making Nico glare at her again. Eli just sighed at their behavior and gave the two warning glances. However, Maki's cough broke the playful atmosphere.

"Um, the three of you know each other?" Maki asked and Nico remembered that she only moved in with them for her final year of high school. With her away at her school (she has her own car cause she's a rich daddy's girl) as well as both Nico and Eli busy with their own classes, she wasn't around much to witness or hear Eli being a dork around Nozomi.

"Yeah, Nozomi and I had a class together during our first year and she shared one with Eli last year." Nico explained briefly before waving off Maki's curious gaze, "There's not much to know about tits except that she has big tits and is annoying."

"Nico." Eli started but Nozomi, who was next to Eli, held her back and gave her a look that said "back off". Eli complied.

Nico snorted; they weren't even dating but Eli was already so whipped.

"It's alright Elichi. I was a bit meddlesome last year," Nico glared at her; Nozomi was more than meddlesome, always pranking her and prying her for information on Maki because she somehow found out about her crush on the redhead, "so I don't mind the cold treatment that much."

Eli sighed at Nozomi, already guessing what she had done before lightheartedly chopping the two on the head, "The two of you behave. There's never a peaceful moment of silence when it comes to you two, especially now that Maki is here."

"What do I have to do with them?" Maki grumbled before freezing when she heard fast thuds from behind her. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized there was only one person who could do that.

"Maki-chan, nya!" Rin tackled the redhead and pushed her cheek against hers, purring all the while.

What.

"Rin! Get off!" Maki yelled and Rin giggled before going to Nozomi and rubbing her face all over hers. Nozomi just laughed and petted Rin, who somewhat settled down and purred even more.

The.

"Is Umi-chan done setting the table?" Nozomi asked and Rin nodded with an exuberant grin, softly purring at the thought and smell of the delicious ramen Nozomi had cooked.

"I can't wait, nya!"

Hell.

"...uh." Nico started lamely and froze when Rin set her eyes on her.

"Oh! It's Nico-chan, nya! I'm Rin!" Rin exclaimed and she immediately broke away from Nozomi and took Nico's hand, shaking it excitedly with a grin. "I've heard so much about you from Maki-chan and Nozomi-chan!"

Nico looked at Maki with slight shock, noting that the redhead just twirled her hair, which was something she did when she was embarrassed—wait, why is she embarrassed? Nico inwardly shook her head, knowing that there were better times to think about the many things that could possibly embarrass Maki. Instead, Nico shot Nozomi a glare before giving her full attention to the bouncing...cat-human.

"It's nice to meet you Rin." Nico responded, and although Rin was a bit too touchy, it was nice to meet someone who wasn't stuck up like Eli or creepy like Nozomi. Rin seemed like a nice enough person but before Nico even knew it, she was engulfed in Rin's arms.

"Nozomi-chan told me you could help me with some things, nya!" Rin started with a joyful grin, looking at Nico expectantly as if she were a child asking her mother for chocolate. As much as Nico hated to admit, she found it more cute than weird. "So can you help me? Can you, can you?"

"It depends on what you need help with, Rin." Nico said as she patted her head, figuring that it would make her happy. It did seeing as how she purred. As odd as it was, Nico didn't mind Rin's purring or sudden closeness. It was nice actually, to feel someone's direct warmth and love (also because her roommates were never one for intimate moments). It wasn't up to par with her extremely rare cuddling moments with Maki however.

 _Nothing_ could beat that.

"Rin-chan, you might want to give Nicocchi some space." Nozomi interrupted with a sing-song voice, making Rin pout.

"Aw, is Maki-chan getting jealous?" Rin replied and snickered when Maki angrily denied the statement. "Fine, fine. But only cause dinner won't be fun if Maki-chan is all tsun-tsun, nya!"

"What? I seriously don't get what you're saying Rin." Maki responded, her face hot and her hand slowly twirling her hair.

 _'Okay, let's get this straight.'_ Nico thought as she saw Maki and Rin engage in mindless banter, _'Apparently Maki gets embarrassed by me? What the hell?_ _When did this happen?'_

Nico's musings were interrupted by the introduction of the last occupant of the house: Sonoda Umi.

"Ah, Yazawa-san, Nishikino-san. It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Sonoda Umi and we," Umi coughed her throat to get Rin and Nozomi's attention and both stopped fooling around, immediately straightening their postures into one like Umi's, "welcome you to the new neighborhood."

The three bowed and Nico was pleasantly surprised; a polite and graceful Nozomi was something she had never seen before, and it was amusing to see such a personality change. On the other hand, Eli was practically radiating her gayness. Her face was red and Nico could _hear_ her starstruck eyes stuck on Nozomi's figure. That blonde was such a dork.

"You don't have to call us by our last names. Just Nico is fine!" Nico replied with a grin, happy that there was a normal-ish person who was able to control Nozomi. Well, Nico knew that Umi's rage rivaled that of Eli's and that she had just as many disturbing fanclubs as Eli but she wasn't as gay as Eli...right?

"I don't mind it that much either." Maki responded, her tone a bit miffed.

Oh? Was she...jealous?

Nico didn't want to believe it because she didn't want to get her hopes up, but she sure as hell was going to find out by the end of this dinner. She spent three years liking this stubborn, insensitive redhead, and there was no way in hell she was going to let a moment like this pass. If she did like her, then Nico was going to go all in. If she didn't, then Nico was going to throw a party and get as trashed as she could possibly can—it was her way of telling unrequited love to fuck off.

"Okay okay intros are done so let's go eat!" Rin exclaimed and rushed into her seat. Umi gracefully settled into her seat next to Rin and Nozomi sat next to Umi.

Eli, being the lame love struck fool she was, sat down in front of Nozomi. Sighing, Nico took a seat next to the blonde, making Maki on her left.

"Thanks for inviting us over." Nico started because Eli was too busy fumbling with her chopsticks.

"It's no problem. It is our duty as neighbors after all." Umi replied with a small smile, and Nico understood why at least a fourth of the school population had fallen for Umi. She was intelligent, polite, and ridiculously good looking. Good thing Nico was resistant to the charismatic, good mannered type—three years of hanging out with Eli were to blame. That, and she was already into Maki, who was the type of person who could be cute and sexy. Nico always wanted a girl who could do both.

"Then how about you come over next time." Nico said with a friendly smile, thinking about how to repay the thoughtfulness of her new neighbors, "Maybe we can have a couple drinks too."

Nico ignored Maki's glare and Nozomi's raised eyebrow and instead focused on Umi, who, to Nico's surprise, pondered the idea. Umi didn't strike her as a person who drank alcohol. Well, maybe wine because she seemed like a classy person.

"That sounds like a great idea although Rin is still not of age."

"I think we can let that slip, Umi. Think of it as a celebration to making it to college." Nico replied, sneaking a wink towards Rin's way. Rin grinned widely and winked back.

"C'mon Umi-chan. Rin-chan's gonna experience it soon enough. Better with us than some stranger." Nozomi encouraged and Umi sighed, relenting with the idea. Finally, a moment when Nozomi wasn't annoying.

"Alright. Does next weekend sound fine?" Umi asked and Nico nodded.

"Alright! Now that that's set, let's eat nya!" Rin exclaimed and promptly dug into her noodles.

In Nico's opinion, the food was wonderful. The ramen was really good even if there were a bit more vegetables than usual. Not to mention, the salad tasted great too.

The conversation mostly consisted of discussions about the upcoming school year and details about each other's lives. As a result, Nico learned that Nozomi was childhood friends with Umi, who was raised in a traditional home thus explaining why Nozomi knew a lot about traditions and customs (Nico felt stupid that she thought that Nozomi knew everything just because of her spiritual nature). She also learned much about Rin and couldn't help but think about how absolutely adorable she was; she loved everything so much that it warmed Nico's heart. It was amazing that there was someone filled with so much love for the world.

After Nico and Nozomi laughed at one of Rin's many pranks, Nico noticed Maki being unusually quiet. Wanting to test the redhead, Nico sneakily grabbed Maki's hand, which was currently at her side, and was delighted at how surprised she was.

"You okay Maki? You're a bit more quiet than usual." Nico said with a grin, liking how red she got, "Relax a bit. It's not like we'll bite." She gave the redhead a comforting squeeze and enjoyed how the tips of Maki's ears were burning—she always looked so cute whenever she was embarrassed.

"But if she likes that then we'll just have to comply, right Nicocchi?" Nozomi teased and Nico took her hand away from Maki, glaring at her from her seat. Of course Nozomi would ruin the moment.

"What are you saying? Jeez I don't get you." Maki replied with a huff before stuffing her face with salad.

"Maki's a bit shy around new people but she'll warm up eventually." Eli commented with a small smile, laughing a bit when the redhead glared at her, "Yes, yes. I'll stop embarrassing you now."

"The three of you are so cute. Which reminds me." Nozomi said with a cheeky smile before looking at Eli, "Elichi, I was wondering a bit about our advanced comp class."

"The professor or the TA?"

"Ah, the TA."

"Kurosawa-san?"

"Hm? Which Kurosawa-san?"

"The older one Umi-chan. I wish we had the one you had though."

"Yeah. I also heard the younger sister—I think it was Ruby-san—was a lot nicer."

"Well we're gonna be in advanced comp so you shouldn't expect it to be a breeze, Elichi."

"I know, I know. It's just that I heard Ruby-san gives extra credit."

"She does actually but Ruby-san leads the fashion workshops, which is quite odd now that I think about it."

"But it would be nice if Kurosawa-san gave extra credit too."

Nico stopped following the conversation between Umi, Nozomi, and Eli and started one with Rin.

"Do you like cats or something?"

"Nya? Why do you ask?"

"Cause you say 'nya' a lot."

"Oh! Yeah I love cats! They're my favorite animal, nya!"

"Anyone would know after meeting you."

"Maki stop being mean."

"Yeah! Maki-chan's being a meanie, nya."

"Whatever."

"Maki."

"Fine."

"Hehe, Maki-chan is so whipped."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Nico sweatdropped at the two and responded quickly before Maki became too irritated, "Anyways Rin, what did you need help with?"

"Nya?"

That got Rin and Maki's attention and stopped their argument. On the other hand, Eli, Nozomi, and Umi were still absorbed with their conversation.

"Oh! That's right nya!" Rin replied with a playful grin. "Say, you're a design major right?"

"Yeah." Nico said slowly, unsure what Rin was planning.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you knew Kotori-chan, nya!"

At the mention of Kotori, Umi choked on her noodles. Nozomi silently snickered while patting her back, making Eli question if Umi was okay.

"You alright there Umi?"

"Yes I'm fine." Umi replied before clearing her throat and turning around to look at Rin, "What was that about Kotori?"

"Nothing, nya! Just asking if Nico-chan knew her." Rin responded and Nico raised her eyebrow when the usually composed Umi looked at her with slightly suspicious eyes before clearing her throat again.

"I see."

Umi turned her attention away and resumed her conversation with Eli and Nozomi. Nico looked at Rin, who just grinned at her widely. It took Nico a couple seconds to realize what she was getting at.

"Oh yeah. I know Kotori. She's a real cutie, that one." Nico commented loudly, and Umi choked again.

"You sure you're okay Umi?"

"I'm fine Eli. Anyways, what were you saying?"

"Well, I was—"

Nico grinned mischievously and winked at Rin, who winked back. Nico knew what Rin wanted to do, and there was no way Nico was not going to help her. Nico would never give up the chance to play matchmaker; she was the great Nico Nii after all.

"What was that about?" Maki asked and Nico sighed; she forgot the redhead was about as dense as Eli was, and Eli couldn't tell the difference between compliments and flirting.

"Nothing, Maki. Anyways are you done eating?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, Maki-chan's a fast eater, nya!"

"I'm pretty sure it's just because she stuffed her face with food so she wouldn't have to socialize."

"T-That's not the reason!"

"I was just joking Maki."

"Hehe, Maki-chan looks so cute when she's all red, nya!"

"Mou, stop it!"

"Oi. Stop teasing Maki so much." Eli called from her side of the table, making Rin and Nico giggle. They complied, however, knowing that the redhead had her limits.

"Fine, fine." Nico grinned slyly at Maki, who just glared at her. Nico playfully rolled her eyes and turned towards Umi, "Hey Umi, you're friends with Honoka right?"

"Yes I am." Umi replied before hesitantly adding, "Has she...done anything bad? I apologize on her behalf if she took too much bread or something."

"Oh no, no." Nico waved her off with a laugh. "I was just wondering how she went from an A to a D."

"Happened to me in eighth grade." Nozomi chimed in and Eli choked on her water. Nico glared at the purple-haired woman as she patted Eli's back, and Nozomi just grinned back at her.

"Uh, right." Umi cleared her throat as she sent Nozomi a warning glance before answering Nico's question, "Well, she failed all her tests and didn't do any of her work, which made me wonder how she got into this university in the first place. Turns out that she was still getting used to college, meaning that she got lost and came late to her other classes, and doesn't do well when she's unmotivated."

"So how'd you motivate her?" Eli asked and Umi sighed, most likely at remembering her deal with the ginger.

"She gets to eat bread whenever we study and we _have_ to have a weekly outing somewhere."

"Ah, but Umi-chan is just disappointed because she wasn't able to hang out with Kotori-chan alone." Nozomi teased and Umi's face became as red as a tomato. Nico found it funny how fast her face heated up at Nozomi's teasing.

"N-Nozomi!"

Nico laughed loudly with Rin but abruptly stopped, realizing that Umi was as gay as Eli—Umi choked on her food at the mention of Kotori, for crying out loud. Her face turned sour at the realization.

So much for hoping that Umi was normal.

"Something wrong Nico-chan?" Maki asked and Nico shook her head.

"No, I just realized something." Nico replied, her hand resting on her cheek and her elbow on the table. Her face was turned towards Maki, who just rolled her eyes at Nico's statement.

"What, that your crush likes someone else?" Maki replied silently albeit bitterly and Nico scoffed, putting her hand down and staring hard at Maki.

"What makes you think I like Umi?"

"You were all smiley and stuff with her."

"Maki, I was being friendly."

"Well you invited her over for drinks."

"I invited _all_ of them over for drinks. You're seriously on the same level with Eli when it comes to being oblivious; the two of you can't recognize the difference between flirting and being friendly."

"Are you two lovebirds so bored after eating that you need to take it out on each other?" Nozomi interrupted their quiet argument with a smirk, making Nico back away from Maki and glare at her.

"Nozomi, I swear I'm gonna—"

"Well, it looks like we're done eating." Eli intervened with a cough, giving Nico and Nozomi a hard look before bowing respectfully, "Thank you for inviting us."

"It's no problem, really." Umi replied politely after bonking Nozomi on the head, and in turn Nozomi pouted at her. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise."

Everyone got up from their seats and, being the business majors they were, Eli and Umi shook hands.

"This was fun, nya! I can't wait to see you guys next week." Rin chimed and Nico patted her head.

"Can't wait. Oh right, can I have your phone number?" Nico asked and Rin looked at her, confused. Nico made subtle gestures towards Umi and Rin's eyes widened in realization.

"Of course, nya!"

Nico grinned and exchanged numbers with Rin. On the other hand, Eli and Nozomi were talking and from the looks of it, Eli was still being uselessly gay as usual.

"Be safe on the way home Elichi."

"O-Of course. It's only a couple meters away though."

"Ah, but anything could happen, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything."

"Right. Thanks, I guess."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Can I ask you something Elichi?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Since we share advanced comp, do you wanna go to class together?"

"Yeah. We could study together too, whenever you're free. I mean, I wouldn't want to disturb you or anything."

"Honestly speaking, I would find any excuse just to see you because you're way too beautiful for your own good. So in your case, you would never be disruptive."

"N-Nozomi!"

Right. Uselessly gay as usual. Well, she fell for Nozomi, who was the absolute devil with her vague riddles and eyes that looked like they were undressing someone, so Nico guessed she couldn't be that mean to Eli.

"C'mon Maki, let's save our terribly gay friend who's always absorbed with her terribly gay crush." Nico grumbled as she grabbed Maki's arm. Maki didn't protest and let herself be pulled by Nico, who relished at the feeling of Maki's toned arm. Damn, this redhead was fine.

"It was nice seeing you tits, Umi. We'll be on our way now." Nico intervened, silently laughing at how red Eli and Umi were. She was a bit surprised that Umi wasn't used to flirting, especially after living with someone like Nozomi.

"I wish the three of you a good night." Umi replied with a smile and Nico grinned back.

"You too. Let's go, you two blockheads."

"Hey!"

The last thing Nico heard after leaving her neighbor's house was the sound of their mellifluous laughter and goodbyes, and Nico thought that her night couldn't get any better.

* * *

Nevermind that.

It got way better.

"Nico-chan, it's not funny!"

Nico's laughter increased at the sight of Maki's blushing face.

"Nico-chan!" Maki whined and Nico couldn't help but giggle harder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Okay, I'll stop." Nico wheezed and after a couple seconds, her laughter had died out. It didn't mean that she was still amused because Nico was pretty damn amused.

"Stop. Don't even say anything. I know you're gonna make fun of me." Maki mumbled when she saw Nico open her mouth. Nico only pouted and gave Maki a hurt look.

"I wouldn't make fun of you Maki. I mean, everyone has their own fears." Nico reassured before her smile turned into a wide grin, "Although it was surprising to find out that the great Maki Nishikino was afraid of crickets. I mean, maybe if you closed your window this wouldn't have happened."

"Nico-chan!" Maki pushed Nico away when the shorter girl tried to hug her. Nico let out a couple of giggles before deciding to get serious.

"Okay, okay. I'll seriously stop now." Nico reassured before moving closer to Maki. She put her hands up in mock defeat and gave Maki a comforting smile to try to lighten up the atmosphere, "Do you mind telling me why you're so scared of them?"

She felt her heart beat faster when Maki looked at her hesitantly, as if whatever she said would make Nico laugh again. Nico only scooted closer to Maki, taking the redhead's hands into hers and squeezing them encouragingly.

"I-It's not like I have a phobia of them or anything, but it's gonna sound so stupid so I'd rather not say."

"I'm not gonna judge. You know me Maki."

There was a beat of silence before Nico's ears picked up Maki's soft sigh.

"W-Well, I'm fine with the noises they make and all but it's just..."

"It's just what?"

"W-When you get too close to them, they jump around really fast and it's scary because they might, um, you know, touch me and bite me or something."

"Maki..."

"I told you it sounds stupid!"

"It's not." Maki looked surprised at her and Nico only gave her a reassuring smile. "Really, it's not."

"Really?" Maki asked, her voice so small and unsure that Nico just wanted to hold her in her arms.

So Nico caved and pulled Maki close to her, loving the scent of Maki's strawberry shampoo.

"It's not stupid because other people are scared of things like that too. It's like me with spiders."

"But some species are actually dangerous while crickets aren't known for, well, being dangerous."

"Which is why you should just throw something at it so it gets away from you. Sure they might bite but I highly doubt that it'd be fatal."

"I know, I know. I just really don't like the way they move around with their ugly legs." Maki commented, her head nestled under Nico's. Nico just hummed thoughtfully before pulling away, her signature bright smile in place.

"Tell you what. How about you sleep with Nico Nii for tonight? I'll be sure to keep those nasty bugs away from you." Nico suggested and Maki's face became a curious shade of pink, "C'mon, I hate seeing you all sad like this."

Nico felt warmth seep into her bones when she saw Maki's blush darken and couldn't help but want to make her smile.

"You know what's good at a time like this?" Nico asked and Maki immediately knew what Nico was going to say, "Say it with me Maki! Nico Nico Nii! Nico Nii will protect you from all the mean crickets and bugs in the world!"

"Nico-chan, that is so annoying." Maki responded as she playfully pushed Nico away, but she had this silly little grin on her face and it made Nico feel like she just won the lottery.

But to Nico, Maki's smiles were worth so much more than that. They were worth more than all the fame and riches in the world, and this was coming from the woman whose dream was to become globally recognized in the fashion industry.

"Whatever, I got you to smile anyways." Nico said and Maki rolled her eyes, making Nico pinch her cheek. "C'mon, let's go sleep before the Russian dork wakes up for her 12am rounds to make sure we're in bed."

"She only does that because of you, Nico-chan."

"Hey! Not my fault all the people wanna party with me." Nico replied and she felt Maki stiffen beside her. "You okay there Maki?"

"Yeah, just wondering why you party so much is all." Maki's mood suddenly turned sour, and Nico thought that maybe Maki really was jealous, that she actually had a chance with the redhead. Well, she might as well explain herself; she didn't want to go to sleep with Maki being grumpy after all.

"It's all about the connections Maki. Fastest way to do it is through socializing, and what's a better way to do that than going to a party? The drinks are just a plus." Nico said as she led Maki to her room, "Not to mention, I usually get people together and win a lot of bets; I mean, how else did you think I got that huge ass piano for your birthday?"

"No way. You got that from a bet?" Maki asked with surprise and Nico grinned smugly.

"When you bet with drunk people, shit happens." Nico told Maki as if she had said the wisest thing in the world before sighing, "Well, I also need to know a lot of people cause the fashion industry is a bitch to work in; everyone is so damn competitive."

"But why have connections with other people when you have me?" Maki asked and Nico turned around, surprised. Maki quickly covered up and continued, "When you have me and Eli, I mean."

Nico looked at Maki strangely, wondering if she should make her move now before deciding that it was too late; it was nearing midnight after all. She sat on her bed and chose her words carefully because she knew that Maki was prone to agitation when she heard things she didn't want to hear.

"I don't want to have to rely on you two all the time, Maki. And it isn't good if I only know the two of you; it's better if I know a lot of other people who can vouch for me."

Maki seemed to understand, seeing as her irritated expression was wiped off of her face, "Oh, I see."

"If you want, I can stop."

"No it's fine; it's what you do anyways." Maki replied and Nico kept in a sigh; Maki was doing her stupid passive-aggressive remarks. Nico hated whenever Maki did that—she almost always caved into whatever Maki was being irritated about. Nico couldn't count all the times she had went to an art museum or watch someone else's music recital because of it.

"Look, we can talk about this later. We should get some sleep." Nico said and Maki nodded, moving towards the closet where the extra futon was. Nico grabbed her hand before she could get any further however, "Nu uh, you're sleeping next to me tonight."

"W-What?" Maki stuttered and Nico giggled.

"Well how else am I going to protect you from the nasty bugs?" Nico teased and Maki huffed. However, the corners of her lips were turned up and Nico knew that Maki wasn't as annoyed as she put out to be.

Needless to say, it took the two at least 10 minutes to settle in, 20 for their breaths to finally even. But before Nico could finally rest peacefully, she took a moment to observe the figure next to her.

They were close enough to be hugging and Nico could feel, smell, and see nothing but Maki. She was engulfed by the redhead, and she didn't mind it at all. She embraced it and moved closer to the object of her affections.

And so, she made a life changing decision that moment.

Nico Nii decided to make Maki happy no matter what because all she ever wanted was to protect her smile—her crush on her be damned.

* * *

 **AN:** Well, NicoMaki probably come off occ in here but hey, they're in college now (meaning they probably argue less and have a lot more quiet moments bc from what I've experienced, college students are more mature than high school students) Also, Maki's fear of crickets isn't that bad; it's more of a slight fear of bugs kinda of thing. As for Nico, her reason for partying is like hitting two birds with one stone: she's able to make friends _and_ have fun. She does keep it in moderation although whenever Nico shows up at a party, everyone knows that it's gonna get lit (cause Nico's a badass in this fic).

Well, I hope this was up to your standards! Next chapter will prioritize the first years! Reviews are much appreciated (If you guys have any ideas or anything feel free to leave a review or PM me)

Edit: While I was in the middle of creating the next chapter, I remembered that Ruby is interested in fashion and Hanamari is the literary one. Nothing else changed except for some minor dialogue.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Hello again! I've been trying to update within 2 weeks but I've been getting busier as of late so this may become a monthly update. Things will start to calm down in December, which is far from now, but I'll still work hard and try my best to manage my time wisely! Oh, and the rating has been changed to M because of swearing, future scenes of alcohol, and maybe some sin (bc we are all in idol hell so why not go deeper). I hope these hopeless dorks aren't too ooc, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since the dinner with Nozomi, Umi, and Rin. To be specific, two weeks had passed by and to Maki, the first week of school had come and gone in a flash—a very irritating and frustrating flash.

"Damn girl! Wanna be my private doctor?" came the fourth catcall Maki had heard throughout the day. She sighed and ignored the terrible excuse of a flirt, walking faster as she clutched her binder and bag tighter with annoyance. However, she had to stop when a guy went in front of her and blocked her path. He gave her a smirk and Maki had to restrain herself from making an overly disgusted face; his eyebrows were thick enough to support a family of lice and his overpowering cologne made her head ache. Did he seriously think he was some hot shot?

"Hey cutie. Wanna know what this sweater is made up of?" the random guy said with a wink as he shoved his hands in his pockets and Maki rolled her eyes; he _did_ think he was some hot shot.

"Your mom's chest hair?" Maki replied with a smirk of her own and the guy, some thirsty frat boy majoring in business if Maki remembered correctly, sputtered with embarrassment. The redhead heard snickers from the people around her and inwardly laughed herself; these wannabe Casanovas thought they had a chance with her when in reality, they had none. Zip. Zilch. Zero. There was a higher chance of Maki adopting Rin's cat persona than her going out with someone like that.

In fact, Maki thought that college would be a breeze; wake up, go to class, ignore everyone, and stay cooped up in the house to study. But no, she forgot that her university was co-ed and that some of the first years thought they were the shit for making it there, especially the annoying frat boys (there were way too many fraternities in this school). Thus, Maki had been hit on or asked out at least four times a day.

Where were her scary friends when she needed them?

"Maki? Are these guys bothering you?" came a fortunately familiar voice and Maki silently sighed in relief—it seemed like her luck had finally turned around.

"Yeah they were, Eli." Maki responded and bit back a smirk when Eli immediately glared at the disgusting frat boy and his friends who had attempted to flirt with Maki earlier. This was probably the one and only time she was glad that Eli had an overprotective older sister side.

"You have three seconds to run—" Eli started coldly, her gaze icy and her tone incredibly menacing. If looks could kill, these guys would be dead in a split second. That being said, they scampered away before Eli could finish her sentence, making Maki grin smugly.

"Thanks Eli."

"No problem. If you have any trouble, just call me." Eli replied, her initial threatening aura gone and replaced with subtle affection. Her gaze had softened noticeably and her lips were curved up slightly. She playfully ruffled Maki's hair like she had always done when they were younger before looking at someone who was staring at them too long.

"Got a problem?" She asked with her eyebrow raised and he whimpered, shaking his head with tears in his eyes before running away. Maki couldn't stop the amused hum from escaping her lips.

Good ol' Elichika being scary even though she didn't mean it.

"It's nice to see big sister Elichi come into play, isn't it Nicocchi?"

And just like that, Maki became aware of her surroundings. She saw Nozomi, who looked at her with a knowing grin, and Nico, whose crimson eyes were stuck to the direction the boys had run off to.

Did Maki mention they were filled with murderous intent? Because they were _filled_ with murderous intent.

"Nicocchi, stop being like that. Elichi scared them off already." Nozomi spoke again with a small grin, nudging Nico and breaking her out of her trance.

"Ah right." Nico coughed before looking at Maki and casually asking, "You okay there?"

Maki just raised her eyebrow when Nico tried to play the situation off like it didn't affect her that much—Nico would either have made some sarcastic remark about her having a flock of fanboys or be pissed that people were annoying her again. Not only that, she felt that there was something different about her ever since the night she had slept in her room. It was like Nico was more willing to compromise and less explosive when it came to the little things that usually irritated her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hopefully Eli scared them enough not to bother me anymore." Maki replied, a neutral expression on her face as Nozomi giggled.

"Well, they're the annoying type of frat boys; I wouldn't expect anything less." Nozomi grinned cheekily as she lightheartedly poked Eli on her cheek. Maki rolled her eyes when she just blushed in turn. "Isn't it nice to have a knight in shining armor, like Elichi here?"

"Nozomi, I'm really not—"

"Aw, c'mon Elichi. You saved me from those nasty guys back at the park, remember?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a knight."

"Well, you certainly are handsome and chivalrous."

"N-Nozomi!"

Maki inwardly groaned and looked at Nico with exasperation, but she just gave her a deadpan look. Maki had thought that Nico was exaggerating when she said that Eli and Nozomi acted like a married couple, thinking that Eli wasn't _that_ much of a lame lovestruck fool. Well, it didn't surprise Maki much, especially because she knew Eli was as straight as a double rainbow.

How did Maki find out? It was mostly guesswork since Eli never reacted to any of the guys and became slightly embarrassed when it came to girls when they were in middle school. Her suspicions were confirmed when Eli went out on a couple dates with a girl when they were in high school, but it ended terribly.

It was horrible. As in really _really_ bad.

...let's just leave it as Maki's first time dealing with a yandere, food poisoning, and the police—it's another story for another day.

"Um, I've got a place I need to be going to." Maki brought up because she wanted the two to stop flirting and she really did need to go somewhere. Eli promptly stopped talking with Nozomi, giving Maki a hard look.

"Where are you going?" Eli asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion and her tone authoritative. Maki just rolled her eyes as she adjusted her backpack—this was one of the times where Maki hated dealing with overprotective sister Eli.

"I'm going to go to a rave and do a shit ton of drugs." Maki replied, her tone drenched with sarcasm. Eli didn't get the memo considering how her eyebrows furrowed and her aura darkened.

"Nishikino Maki, I will—"

"It was a joke, Eli." Maki interrupted as she ran her hand through her hair, and she faintly heard Nozomi's snickers, "First of all, I don't do raves. Second, I would never do drugs."

"Third, she's an antisocial nerd who would rather stay home and study." Nico cut in with an impish grin and Maki glared at her. She just blew her a kiss, making Maki roll her eyes again.

"Shut up. Why are you even here?" Maki retorted and Nico suddenly frowned, glaring at Nozomi and Eli.

"We just got out of the study hall and Eli was supposed to give me a ride to work but tits _insisted_ we take a walk, talking about how great of a day it is." Nico responded with a huff, her voice laced with annoyance.

"And it's a good thing we did. We ran into some guys messing with our Maki-chan. Imagine what would've happened if Elichi didn't save the day?" Nozomi added with a wink to a blushing Eli and Maki thought her eyes were going to be permanently glued to the back of her head with how much she was rolling her eyes today.

"Nothing would have happened because I'm not into frat boys." Maki answered blandly and didn't know whether to be uncomfortable or annoyed at Nozomi's knowing grin. She chose the latter and glared at her—it was better if she didn't show that Nozomi could get under her skin, especially because she seemed to know everything.

"Does that mean Maki-chan is into other types of guys? Find a cutie of your liking here?" Nozomi asked, wagging her eyebrows and Maki scoffed.

"No thank you. I'm not looking for a relationship." Maki replied but couldn't stop herself from twirling her hair; it was like an automatic reaction whenever she got embarrassed or was lying about how she really felt. She faintly registered the small frown on Nico's face from her peripheral vision and kept on a blank face, not knowing what to do in this type of situation.

Here, Maki wasn't embarrassed; she was lying. There was only one person who she wanted to have a deeper, more intimate connection with. There was only one person who completely understood her, who knew about her deepest insecurities and took care of her more than she took care of herself. One person who was worthy enough to earn the title of best friend and first love.

If people either liked, hated, or were obsessed with Nico, then Maki would grudgingly admit that she was a part of the last category—she cared a _lot_ more about her than she let on.

It was simpler during her last year of high school. She didn't see Nico often, which meant that she rarely heard much about what she was doing so it was easier for her to bury herself with her homework. If Maki did see her, it was either for dinner or for help with her studies. Some days, when she or Nico weren't exhausted from school, they would sit down next to each other on the couch and silently watch TV (Maki absolutely refused to call it cuddling) or go out for dinner. Maki cherished those days, especially because they were extremely rare.

But now, she was attending the same university. She would have to see Nico flirting or maybe even dating someone and it plagued her thoughts during classes and study hour. What was Nico doing right now? Would she be home by the time Maki's classes were done? Or was she messing around with some random person?

Maki knew she had to do something about it—her control was slipping. She found herself blushing and stuttering a lot more in front of Nico. She found herself staring at Nico whenever they were home alone. Worst of all, she found herself craving Nico's warmth, wanting to hold her in her arms (she _refused_ to call it cuddling) like that one night they spent together weeks before.

But Maki had other problems that required her upmost attention, one of which she was going to try to resolve today because it was doable, even for someone socially inept like her (even she had to admit that she wasn't the best at socializing). That, and it was too damn _annoying_.

"Anyways, I need to go now. I've got a study group with Rin and Hanayo." Maki said and Eli nodded her approval. She then turned to Nico, her hand slowly twirling her hair before asking, "I'll see you for dinner?"

Nico looked a bit amused as she raised her eyebrow. "You do realize that our other roommate is right next to you?"

"Not like that, idiot." Maki grumbled and Nico shot her a bright smile—the kind that made her heart skip a beat (metaphorically, of course, because hearts can't stop beating), and Maki thought she couldn't get any gayer than this.

Well, she could, but Maki wasn't too keen on being on the same level of gay as Eli—she was off the charts.

"I know, just teasing you Maki. But yeah, I'll be back in time for dinner." Nico playfully punched Maki's shoulder before giving her a quick hug. Maki thought it was cute how she had to tip toe a bit for her arms to properly reach her neck and loved even more that she had this habit of tightening her grip and snuggling into her neck. But what Maki loved the most was that she was able to get a whiff of her fruity shampoo and faint perfume because Nico's scent was oddly refreshing and relaxing.

Oh gods, she was thinking about how Nico smelled—maybe she _was_ gayer than Eli.

"Better study hard, rich girl. I've got a bet on you!" Nico said with a playful wink as she pulled away and Maki tried her best not to fall into a gay panic attack.

"Whatever. I don't get you." Maki responded, managing to get away with a light blush before readjusting her backpack and saying her goodbyes to the rest of the third years (because she and Eli didn't hug much and Nozomi was still giving her that disturbing smile).

Maki then took out her earphones and plugged them into her phone, listening to classical music to calm her stupidly gay heart until she reached one of the many study halls where she was supposed to meet Rin and Hanayo. She took in a deep breath before releasing it, sending a prayer to whoever was out there that things would go smoothly today so she could return home without a headache because it was one of the last things she needed after her realization of what level of gay she was on.

She opened the door and went into the room her friends were in and was immediately reminded why this problem was so damn _annoying_.

"Aw, jeez. I'm not that cute Kayo-chin; you're the cute one, nya!"

"Eh? But I think I'm not that cute; I'm still a bit chubby after all these years. You're the cute one Rin-chan!"

"You're not chubby Kayo-chin! You're the cutest girl in the world, nya!"

"No, you're the cutest girl in the universe Rin-chan!"

If the two weren't so adorably innocent about their affection towards each other, Maki would have bonked them on the head or left already. It still didn't mean that it irritated her because it did—the fact that they were so dense yet so honest about each other was frustrating.

"Oi. I thought we were supposed to be studying." Maki called out and the two girls, who were so absorbed with each other that they started hugging, took a glance at Maki before letting each other go. Rin scratched the back of her head with slight embarrassment while Hanayo blushed lightly—they were definitely not studying.

"We were, nya!" Rin exclaimed with a giggle and Maki sighed, taking a seat across from her so she wouldn't be bombarded with hugs every second.

"I doubt it, but whatever." Maki mumbled before taking some materials out, "Do you two need help with anything specifically?"

"Yeah, yeah! Hanamaru-sensei told me to work on my vocabulary." Rin said with a pout and Hanayo petted her head to comfort her. Rin promptly purred with content and Maki didn't even blink. She was used to this by now.

"Well, we can work on that in many ways. Let's start with something simple: I give you a basic word and you give me some synonyms." Maki started, completely focused on being productive, and Rin grinned excitedly.

"Okay, nya!"

"You can do this Rin-chan!" Hanayo cheered on and Rin shot the brunette a grateful smile.

"Thanks Kayo-chin!"

"Right," Maki coughed uneasily before continuing, "Give me some synonyms for happy."

"Oh! Oh! Cheerful, joyful, uhm," Rin thought hard before grinning excitedly, "untroubled, and glad!"

Maki hummed thoughtfully before shaking her head. "We're in college now Rin; they expect us to know more complex terms. Do you know any other words?"

When Rin pouted and shook her head, Maki listed off what came on her mind. "You can also say content, ecstatic, jubilant, elated, euphoric, and rapturous, although some of those are used in the terms of pleasure."

"Nya? Those are some big words Maki-chan." Rin replied a bit confusedly and Maki bit back a sigh.

"Not really. How about the word angry?" Maki started again, staring blankly at her and she smiled widely.

"Oh, I know some! Umi-chan tells me she feels vexed and livid sometimes whenever she finds out about what me and Nozomi-chan did, nya! Nozomi-chan also called Umi-chan choleric once, and when I asked her what it meant she just told me it was a way to describe someone who's bad-tempered. I think it's funny thought because it sorta sounds like the word chlorine." Rin snickered at the memory and Maki shot her a deadpan look; they definitely did not sound the same. "Oh, and there's also mad, furious, irritated, enraged, and annoyed."

Maki was, for a lack of a better word, impressed despite the possibility that there was something wrong with Rin's ears. She guessed that living with someone as smart as her roommates had its advantages, although Nozomi and Umi did have their fair share of flaws: Nozomi needed to tone down her teasing and someone needed to give Umi a Snickers; she got mad way too easily, although it wasn't as bad as Eli's temper. Speaking of Eli, a Snickers might actually work with her given her ridiculously serious love for chocolate. Maki mentally added that on her list of experiments.

"Those are pretty good." Maki admitted as she was brought out of her musings because of Rin's inability to sit still. "Tell you what, I'll give you a list of words and you have to study them. I'll test you weekly on them too, and they'll be arranged into complex sentences so you can get used to reading on a sophisticated level."

"Eh? I don't wanna do more work than I have to, nya!" Rin complained with a pout and Maki sighed.

"Even though Hanamau-sensei gives extra credit, we're gonna be getting essays endlessly—some will be about novels which can be a pain to read. Not to mention, diction is important when it comes to writing." Maki responded sternly and Rin groaned lightly before agreeing.

"Fine, fine." Rin grumbled before getting excited again—she always found something to get her mood back up. Maki was sort of jealous, actually. If she was grumpy, nothing but coffee, tomatoes, and, as much as Maki liked to think otherwise, Nico could fix her mood. "Oh right! I wanted to ask you something Maki-chan, nya! Since you're pretty good with writing stuff."

"Sure go ahead." Maki responded with a bored blink and Rin grinned widely.

"Nya! If 'womb' sounds like 'woom' and 'tomb' sounds like 'toom', then shouldn't 'bomb' sound like 'boom'?" Rin asked, genuinely curious and Maki stared blankly at her, expecting her to laugh loudly at the pun she just, as much as Maki hated to admit, intellectually made. But no, she was dead serious.

"It probably has something to do with the Greek origins of each word, but I don't really know much about linguistics except for the scientific words. You should probably ask Umi for something like that." Maki answered slowly after a moment before letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "And I'm surprised you didn't even see that you just made a pun asking that question."

"I did, nya?" Rin asked tilting her head as she whispered the question to herself and grinned widely, "I did, nya!"

"That's pretty cool Rin-chan." Hanayo commented with a small smile and Rin giggled.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. You're pretty amazing Rin-chan." Hanayo replied and Rin giggled more as she moved to hug her.

"Aw, you're the amazing one Kayo-chin."

Maki coughed to get their attention and they broke eye contact, "Right. Let's get back to work now."

Rin pouted but Hanayo just petted her head, making her relax. Maki hummed noncommittally and looked over at Hanayo before asking, "Is there anything you need help with, Hanayo?"

Hanayo nodded, temporarily letting go of Rin to show Maki her math work and Rin immediately brightened up, "Nya? This stuff is easy Kayo-chin! I can help you with this; it's just geometry anyways."

"Thank you Rin-chan. I almost forgot you were good at math." Hanayo replied softly with a bashful smile and Rin pouted again.

"Mou, Kayo-chin, I can't believe you almost forgot that!"

"I-I'm sorry Rin-chan!"

Maki bit back a sigh as the two went into one of their usual compliment-arguments. It truly amazed Maki how Rin was so good at math but so _shitty_ at writing—she used the simplest terms with the simplest sentences, like a children's book. But she made up whatever she lacked in composition with her skills in the mathematical field.

"Will the two of you need my help?" Maki asked and the two shook their heads.

"I understand what's going on in my psych class. Thank you though Maki-chan." Hanayo responded with a grateful smile and Maki hummed in reply.

"I'll study for Chem then." Maki said and promptly went to work, making sure to keep an eye on Rin and Hanayo and get them back on track whenever they started fooling around.

While Maki studied, she contemplated on how to get the two together. She bit back a sigh as she scribbled on her paper and looked at her laptop, occasionally glancing away to eye Rin and Hanayo. Even back then to when she first met the two, she saw their undeniable chemistry and undying affection towards each other—they may have drifted apart since elementary school but they acted like it never happened. The two kept in touch a lot after that and Maki thought that they would get together if she left them alone, but after a couple of weeks with no progress, Maki knew that they needed a push. She just didn't know how to. This was the first time she had to deal with a problem like this—Eli was rarely interested in romance and if she was, she could handle it on her own while Nico was independent enough to work things out herself.

The next time Maki looked at her watch, she was surprised to see that an hour had gone by. She turned her focus back onto her surroundings and held back a groan when it was basically the same type of conversation she had heard the last time she was paying attention.

"You make this all sound so easy Rin-chan."

They had moved on to Rin's calculus work and Maki rolled her eyes—of course it would be easy to Rin. She was in Calculus as a first year for crying out loud.

"That's cause it is, nya! But I really hate the theoretical part—I snuck a peek at what we'll be working next semester and it blows."

"I believe that you can do it Rin-chan! You're amazing at this."

"Jeez Kayo-chin. I'm not the amazing one; you are, nya! You're gonna work to help the future of the children, and that's awesome. It's one of the things I love most about you."

"Well, there's plenty of things I love about you too."

' _They definitely like each other. The thing is,'_ Maki thought with a small scowl, _'how the hell have they not noticed yet?'_

"You okay there Maki-chan?" Rin asked and Maki looked up, seeing her friend's concerned eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine." Maki thought, erasing her frown and making her expression more neutral because she didn't want to worry them. She raised an eyebrow when the two still looked at her intently. "Are _you two_ okay? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well," Hanayo started as she twiddled with her fingers, "It's just that Nico-chan mentioned that you tend to frown a lot. And she told me to s-smack you whenever you do it."

"But Kayo-chin doesn't like hitting people, so I'll do it for her!" Rin exclaimed with a grin, moving her hand but stopping when Maki glared at her.

"Touch me and I'll stop helping you with _everything_."

"R-Roger."

"How do you know Nico-chan anyways?" Maki asked, making sure to mask her curiosity. Hanayo shyly looked at her before pushing her glasses up.

"We share Food Studies along with Honoka-chan." Hanayo replied with a shy smile and Maki hummed in reply, "But what she said was true though."

"Really?" Maki thought, unconsciously frowning as a result.

"You just did it again, nya!" Rin chimed in with a giggle, "It's funny cause you look so intimidating but in reality you're the opposite. Like Umi-chan and Eli-chan!"

"Don't loop me in with those two. And you say I can't be intimidating?" Maki challenged with a glare and Rin laughed nervously.

"A-Ah, I'm not saying you can't be scary." Rin quickly responded and Hanayo nodded, "It's just that if you frown too much, you'll get wrinkles, nya!"

"Now you sound just like Nico-chan." Maki grumbled before giving the two expectant looks, "On the other hand, shouldn't you two be doing something more important?"

Rin pouted at Maki's implication that they go back to work and instead pointed at her chemistry work, "What about you Maki-chan; do you need help?"

"I don't know if you're being serious or not." Maki gave Rin a deadpan look; she was a daughter of two of the most renowned figures in the medical field who owned a chain of successful hospitals—a little chemistry wasn't hard for someone like her. Rin just grinned cheekily and when she saw one of her papers, her smile turned mischievous. She swiftly reached over the table and took it, scribbling on it with a pencil. "Rin! What are you doing!"

Rin just stuck her tongue out and showed the paper to Hanayo, who giggled at what Rin had written but sent Maki a sympathetic look after.

"Look Maki-chan, I circled your favorite elements!" Rin gave Maki back the paper and Maki felt heat rush up to her cheeks.

"R-Rin! What the heck is this!?"

"It's your favorite elements, nya!"

Rin had circled Cobalt and Nickel, which were respectively known as CO and NI. Maki wasn't dumb; she knew Rin was teasing her about her crush on Nico.

As for how Rin knew Maki liked Nico, she was flabbergasted. Either Rin was way too observant when it came to other people or Maki was too obvious about Nico.

"W-Well, to be fair, you do talk about Nico-chan a lot." Hanayo commented shyly and Maki scowled—she was definitely being too obvious about Nico.

"W-Whatever. We're supposed to be taking this time to study and do work." Maki tried changing the subject and was relieved when the two let it drop.

"Hehe, Maki-chan is cute when she's embarrassed. But not as cute as Kayo-chin! Speaking of which, Kayo-chin and I were going to go to the library cause Kayo-chin has a project thingy." Rin brought up and shot Maki a cheerful grin, "Do you wanna come with us?"

Maki actually pondered about what to do instead of rejecting the offer like usual. If she went home, then she would have to deal with Eli being gay about Nozomi. If she went to the library with the two, she would probably stress more about her two friends. However, if she went home, she would be able to greet Nico _and_ give Rin and Hanayo some quality time. Well, it wasn't like Nico was one of the major factors—Maki saw her every day. She just thought that her two friends could use some time alone. Yeah, that's it. Thinking that was the better option, Maki decided to go home.

"I'll pass." Maki answered and immediately felt guilty when she saw their sad expressions. It should be illegal for those two to pull off the puppy eyes; it was almost as bad as Nico's, and Maki could make a twelve hour long presentation on how terrible Nico's puppy eyes were because she almost always caved. "But we can hang out tomorrow?"

"Alright, nya! It's settled!" Rin exclaimed as she and Hanayo smiled, and Maki found whatever irritation she had left slipping away. They may have annoyed her at times but in the end, Maki was grateful that there were people who could put up with her sarcastic and sometimes asshole-ish personality. Not many wanted to get close to her as sincerely as Rin and Hanayo because her status usually attracted fake people, and it made her want to bring the two together even more.

And so, Maki resorted to more desperate measures. There was only one person who knew Rin more than she did and would probably be more successful in bringing the two together—not that she couldn't do it herself. Maki hoped that she just did it in a normal way.

But then again, Nozomi was anything but normal.

 _'This is probably a bad idea,'_ Maki thought as she sent a text to Nozomi about what she was planning before sighing, _'but whatever. They'd be a lot happier in the long run.'_

Maki gave out one last prayer for the day but this time, it was for Rin and Hanayo—if Nozomi was involved, they would need it.

* * *

There was only one thing Rin loved more than cats and ramen combined, and it was her precious childhood friend: Hanayo.

Hanayo was her best friend and the only one who truly understood her for who she was; she knew what Rin wanted before she even realized it herself. Without her, she felt like things were more gloomier than usual—she felt incomplete even. Nozomi and Umi may have helped to fill the emptiness and lessen the pain after she had to change schools, but she always felt that something was missing. She was happy to have caring friends like them, but she wasn't content.

The day of the tour was probably the second best day of her life—the first being the day she met Hanayo. She remembered walking around excitedly with Nozomi and Umi, asking many questions about the university and the surrounding area. When she arrived at the place where the orientation for the freshmen were supposed to meet and spotted a familiar brunette, she didn't take any chances. She ran and ran and was ecstatic when she realized that it really was her Hanayo—her Kayo-chin.

Things had really brightened up for Rin after that. They texted each other like crazy, making sure to say good morning every morning and good night every night. They tried to hang out every day (after she got Umi's permission of course) to make up for the lost time, and Rin lost count of all the times that she had been to her house. They were almost inseparable, just like how they were back then.

So when Rin had found out that there was someone being mean to her Kayo-chin, she was furious.

"What do you mean she said you were fat Kayo-chin?! You're way too adorable to be fat, nya!" Rin whispered angrily with a glare towards the offensive person, who was too busy texting on her phone to notice her and Hanayo.

They were in the library and Hanayo was on her laptop working on her project when something that caught her eye made her freeze and shrink into her seat. It didn't take long for Rin to find out what she was looking at and that there was someone being rude to her. Needless to say, she became positively livid.

How could someone be so mean to her Kayo-chin? She would never hurt anything, even a pesky little cockroach. That's why Rin was so mad—Hanayo didn't deserve anything like this.

"R-Rin-chan, it's okay. It really is." Hanayo replied meekly and held Rin's arm as an attempt to dissuade her. Rin just made a face and looked away from the girl, who was part of a sorority and known for being a bitch.

"No it's not Kayo-chin."

"Trouble in paradise?" A familiar voice asked and the two turned around in their seats. Rin immediately brightened up, springing out of her seat to give the new arrival a hug.

"Nozomi-chan!" Rin grented with a grin as Nozomi smiled at her before pulling her down into the seat next to hers, "Nozomi-chan, can you help me with something really quick?"

Nozomi giggled at Rin, recognizing an expression she knew all too well, "It depends on what you need help with, Rin-chan. And good evening to you, Hanayo-chan."

"Good evening Nozomi-chan." Hanayo greeted with a shy smile before turning to Rin, her eyes filled with anxiousness, "Rin-chan, are you really going to do something?"

"Of course I am, nya! No one gets away with being mean to my Kayo-chin." Rin responded with a wide grin and Hanayo blushed.

"Someone's being mean to Hanayo-chan? Now that's something I don't hear too often." Nozomi commented with an amused hum and Hanayo's blush darkened.

There was no lie in what Nozomi was saying. Hanayo became recognized throughout the school for her extremely pure and kindhearted personality (she surpassed Kotori's level when it came to that), which was shown when she was able to calm down a fight between some frat boy and a geeky dude. In Rin's opinion, Hanayo should've been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for being able to convince a frat boy to not be a thirsty asshole—they did anything and everything to inflate their egos, and guys like that were a menace to society. Not only that, she was also well known for her love of rice and idols, and most people thought it was adorable how passionate she was about the two. Rin was extremely happy that they were mature enough to accept Hanayo for who she truly was; she didn't want people to bully Hanayo like before when they were in elementary.

Of course, not everyone would be mature, and not everyone would like Hanayo.

"I'm guessing that girl you're glaring at is the culprit." Nozomi brought up and Rin broke out of her trance—she had been maddogging said girl. Nozomi giggled at her before nodding her head sympathetically, "I understand; Ami tends to bark a lot."

If Rin wasn't so angry, she would've caught Nozomi's hidden insult. But she was, so she just nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, she was being rude to Kayo-chin for no reason. And Kayo-chin didn't even do anything to her, nya!" Rin frowned and Hanayo tried to persuade her to not do anything bad.

"Rin-chan, I don't want you to get in trouble." Hanayo whispered but Rin grinned impishly.

"When Nozomi-chan and I team up, no one gets in trouble." Rin replied mischievously and Nozomi giggled.

"Don't worry Hanayo-chan, we won't do anything too bad." Nozomi reassured as she eyed the girl's laptop. Rin immediately understood what Nozomi was thinking. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Private Rin?"

"Nya, Captain Nozomi!"

"Let's get to work then, shall we?" Nozomi grinned and Rin flashed her a wide grin. With one last comforting squeeze to Hanayo's hand, Nozomi got up from her seat and walked towards the offender.

"Hey Ami, didn't expect to see you here." Nozomi greeted and Ami eyed at her with disgust.

"Oh, it's the queen of lesbians. What do you want?" Ami scoffed before flipping her hair and sneering at her, "It better not be my number."

"Oh, no. Actually, Satoshi was talking to me about you." Nozomi replied calmly with a perfectly controlled smile. "But I'd rather not say in public—too many people can be hearing, you know."

Wow, someone give Nozomi a gold medal because Rin would've punched the nya out of Ami if she said that to her.

"Oh my god, really?" Ami squealed before quieting down when she realized she was in a library and dragging Nozomi to a more secluded area, "Please, tell me more."

As Nozomi was whisked away by Ami, she gave Rin a wink and held up her free hand, indicating that Rin only had five minutes.

And that's all the time she needed.

Once Ami was far away, Rin immediately set to work on her laptop, getting through her password easily because she had seen her enter it earlier. She went to the settings and messed everything up, from the mouse to the applications on the desktop. She caught someone staring at her but he made an imaginary zip on his lips before turning away like he never saw a thing.

Rin grinned cheekily before running back and settling next to Hanayo once again. Other than that one guy, no one else seemed to notice what she had done. Nozomi came in exactly one minute later with Ami looking dreamy.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Up to you. I told you everything I know." Nozomi replied with a shrug before saying goodbye. She walked over to Rin and Hanayo, and they waited a couple minutes before leaving so they didn't seem suspicious.

Once they were outside and at a safe distance, Rin and Nozomi started laughing and gave each other a high five.

"So what'd you mess with this time Rin-chan?" Nozomi asked and Rin grinned smugly.

"Well, first of all I changed the mouse speed to super slow, made it left-handed, and changed the icon to the "Always Busy" one. Then, I switched the keyboard layout to DVORAK so everything's all messed up. And then," Rin trailed off to make things dramatic and Nozomi looked at her with anticipation, "I made a screenshot of her desktop then hid the icons around, nya! I even made a folder somewhere with the shutdown shortcut!"

Nozomi laughed with Rin and they gave each other another high five, but Hanayo was still worried. At seeing her face, Rin calmed down and pulled her in for a hug, wanting to comfort her best friend.

"Sorry about that Kayo-chin. It really was just a harmless prank, nya." Rin said before pulling away with her hand sheepishly scratching her head, "I won't do it again if you want me to."

"N-No, it's not that Rin-chan." Hanayo responded as she twiddled with her fingers, "I just don't want you getting in trouble."

"Mostly everyone in school hates her guts," Nozomi commented before admitting, "including me. I was seriously about to punch her when she thought I was trying to get her number—her ego is as big as one of those thirsty frat boys. Plus, everyone knows I'm into Elichi."

"Except for Eli-chan herself." Rin chimed in with a laugh before giving Hanayo a reassuring smile, "Don't worry Kayo-chin; that other guy in the library has my back."

"Kenji is pretty chill—he wouldn't rat us out." Nozomi added and Hanayo looked at the two before sighing.

"Alright. At least I finished my project." Hanayo replied before smiling softly and giving the two quick hugs, "Thank you both for having my back."

Rin and Nozomi looked at each other before grinning widely.

"Always."

* * *

"So..."

"So what, nya?" Rin asked and Nozomi slung her arm around her.

"When are you gonna ask Hanayo-chan out?" Nozomi replied and almost laughed when Rin hummed thoughtfully.

"We're going out again tomorrow." Rin answered with a grin and Nozomi stopped walking, "What's wrong, nya?"

"Nothing, nothing." Nozomi responded with an amused smile as she took her arm off of Rin and leaned against a car, "That wasn't what I meant though."

Rin looked at her, genuinely curious and confused. Nozomi just gave her a smile and looked up to the night sky, admiring the multitude of bright stars that contrasted with the darkness of the night. She then closed her eyes for a couple seconds before turning to Rin, and Rin thought that it was weird how serious Nozomi was.

"Tell me, what do you think about Hanayo-chan getting close with someone else?" Nozomi inquired and Rin raised her eyebrow. What a weird question to ask.

"That's fine; maybe we could become friends too, nya."

"But what if she started spending less time with you and more time with them?" Nozomi asked and Rin bit her lip.

She always hoped that it never got to that point, especially since they were separated after elementary school. She was ecstatic to find that Hanayo had missed her as much as she did when they reunited, but Rin was still scared that that would happen. It sounded cheesy, but Hanayo really was her everything. She felt so much more at ease knowing that she was still her best friend, that she was still that one person she unconditionally trusted.

If that was taken away, Rin knew the only thing she could do was support Hanayo because that's what best friends do—she would support her no matter what, even if it pained her.

"I'd be sad, nya. But if it's what Kayo-chin wants, then I'm fine with it." Rin answered with a frown and shot Nozomi a weird look when she started laughing, "What's funny, nya?"

"Nothing. That just reminded me of Umi-chan." Nozomi shot her a warm smile and Rin tilted her head in confusion.

"Why does that remind you of Umi-chan?"

"Because Umi-chan is selfless, especially when it comes to the ones she loves."

Rin was silent for a moment, processing Nozomi's statement. Nozomi sighed when she realized that Rin was still confused and got off of the car. She got up and wrapped her hand around Rin's arm.

"Are you saying that I love Kayo-chin, nya?" Rin asked as they started walking again and Nozomi giggled, "Because I already know that I love Kayo-chin. She's my bestest friend ever, nya!"

"But that's not the love I'm talking about." Nozomi replied before lowering her hand to clasp Rin's and swinging it gently.

"Whatcha talking about then, Nozomi-chan?" Rin asked and Nozomi hummed thoughtfully.

"It's the type of love I have for Elichi." Nozomi answered simply and Rin froze, dropping her hand in the process.

"L-Like the type of love Umi-chan has for Kotori-chan?" Rin replied with a blush and Nozomi nodded with a small smile. "What does that have to do with me and Kayo-chin?"

"Well, have you always felt your heart beat faster whenever you're near her? Or feel like you always want to be next to her? Do you feel like you want to do something to make them happy? Or feel like seeing them smile is enough to make your day?" Nozomi asked with a knowing grin, "Because that's how I feel around Elichi, and that's how Umi-chan feels around Kotori-chan, no matter how many times she denies it."

Rin pursed her lips in thought as she processed what Nozomi said. She did feel like that all the time—the desire to be around Hanayo and to make sure she was happy all the time. It was part of the reason why Rin always defended her against people who bullied her and made her rice ball snacks back in elementary school. She always thought the warmth that seeped into her heart was the result of a great friendship, not love.

But as Rin thought about it more, it made sense. The reason why she felt so happy whenever she saw Hanayo smile, why she felt so excited every time they held hands, why she felt so angry this night when she found out Ami was being mean to her.

"You understand it now Rin-chan?" Nozomi asked with an amused smile; it was cute how Rin's face slowly turned from confusion to realization.

"But if you love Eli-chan and Umi-chan loves Kotori-chan, why haven't you both confessed yet?" Rin responded and Nozomi giggled.

"Umi-chan doesn't have the courage to confess—something Nico-chan, Honoka-chan, and I plan to change. On the other hand, I know that Elichi likes me back." Nozomi admitted and laughed when Rin looked at her, wide-eyed, "I'm just waiting for the dork to confess, although it's pretty fun to embarrass her too."

 _'Of course, nya.'_ Rin thought, silently praying for Eli—anyone going against Nozomi needed it.

"So what should I do, nya?" Rin sighed as they started walking again, "Wouldn't Umi-chan throw a fit?"

"Don't worry about her; I'll take care of it." Nozomi reassured as she ruffled Rin's hair again, "Take baby steps: give her some flowers, pay for the meal, and hold her hand more. Maybe even sneak in some kisses on the cheek."

Rin blushed when Nozomi elbowed her playfully. In turn, she gave her a light snack on her arm before laughing loudly with her. When the laughter died, there was a comfortable silence and the two kept on walking.

"Thanks for helping me realize my feelings, Nozomi-chan." Rin brought up as they rounded a corner.

"No problem, pipsqueak." Nozomi laughed again when Rin glared at her, "First one to get home doesn't have to do dishes?"

"You're on." Rin responded with a smirk.

Needless to say, Rin felt lighter than ever that night.

* * *

 **AN:** I have a lot of plans for this fic but god damn my schedule is packed for school this year (5 APs and I still gotta do my college apps lol save me).

Anyways, to answer one of the reviews as to if there will be conflict: most of the conflict in here will be internal, much like what Maki and Nico are experiencing although there will be some crazy fanclub interference (thank the SG Trio for that). But the main story line is getting all of these lame lovestruck fools together while dealing with the stress of college. I may not be in college yet, but I've visited and heard enough from my three siblings and older friends to understand what it's like-ish (that Freshman 15 tho). Also, as I mentioned earlier, I will include a party scene because those are always fun to write (although they may not always be fun to participate in). If you guys want to see anything in particular, I'll try to intertwine that with the story! Just drop a review or PM me or something.

Well, the next chapter will bring back printemps so expect more KotoUmi and TsubaHono, which doesn't get a lot of love unfortunately. That being said, I'm gonna make the next chapter so fluffy—fluffier than a Samoyed, and those dogs are just big balls of fluff.

Thanks for reading this chapter! As always, reviews and criticisms are much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Sup ya'll! Back at it again with another long chapter. I apologize if the story flow gets broken cause of all the shifting perspectives, but then again the way I first thought about writing this story was just doing a series of one-shots hence the different point of views. This is gonna be a monthly thing now since school is destroying me. Also, I was aiming for fluff but the Idiot Trio came in and it turned into crack lol. Other than that, there's a mix of all the ships in this chapter. I apologize if some characters are ooc, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The night wasn't too cold or cloudy, allowing the vast array of luminous stars to peek out from the dusky blanket of the night sky. It wasn't dark enough that the neighborhood had drifted off to sleep, but it was still dark nonetheless.

Which reminded Hanayo that Umi was going to kill Rin if she didn't go home within 10 minutes so she thought that, even though she wanted nothing more than to spend more time with her cherished best friend, she should say her farewells for now.

"This was really fun, Rin-chan." Hanayo spoke gently with a small smile as she and Rin stood at her doorstep.

"Really? Then do you wanna go again next weekend, nya?" Rin asked with a cute, hopeful smile as she bounced lightly, trying to prolong their meeting, but Hanayo knew what she was doing and frowned slightly.

"But we have an essay due on Friday and you have a test as well; I'm sure you'll be exhausted, Rin-chan." Hanayo protested as she bit the bottom of her lip; Rin needed her rest, especially because she tended to overdo things with how excited she got sometimes. She hesitated a little before adding, "And Umi-chan will get angry if you stay with me any longer."

"I can't ever be tired when I'm with you, Kayo-chin. You give me the energy I need to be motivated for school, nya! And don't worry about Umi-chan; Nozomi-chan is buying me some time." Rin admitted with a wide grin and Hanayo blushed. She couldn't help but smile at the look of pure adoration Rin was giving her and leaned in to give the shorter girl a hug.

"Thank you, that really means a lot to me Rin-chan." Hanayo whispered as she slightly tightened her arms around Rin, "You mean a lot to me."

"Aw, jeez. You mean a lot to me too, Kayo-chin." Rin responded warmly as she snuggled her head into her shoulder, making Hanayo smile softly at their height difference. They stayed in that position for a good minute, loving the comforting warmth the other radiated. However, the peace was disturbed by the sound of a vibration and right after, Rin's sigh. "I should start heading back now though; Nozomi-chan can only keep Umi-chan at bay for so long, nya."

Hanayo understood and pulled away but froze when she felt something soft graze her cheeks. She looked at Rin with surprise, but Rin just glanced off to the side with embarrassment before making eye contact again.

"A good night kiss for my Kayo-chin. I'll see you tomorrow, nya!" Rin explained brightly, albeit somewhat shyly but before she could leave, Hanayo grasped her arm to keep her in place, "Kayo-chin?"

Hanayo moved forward, brushing her lips against Rin's cheek and leaving them there for a good second. She pulled away slowly before mumbling, "Rin-chan also gets a good night kiss."

Rin looked at her in slight shock with her hand held up to where Hanayo's lips had touched before smiling softly, ignoring how her cheeks had warmed up significantly.

"Good night Kayo-chin."

"Good night Rin-chan. Be safe."

"If being safe means that I'll get to see you tomorrow, then I will be, nya. I'll pick you up for school on Monday; see you Kayo-chin!"

"See you Rin-chan! And don't forget to get Maki-chan again!"

"Of course, nya!"

With that, Rin set off, and Hanayo was left alone to watch her walk under the collection of scintillating stars, a rosy blush rising to her cheeks. The night had become warmer and the stars even brighter, and nothing could ever ruin this moment—

"Kotori-chan! Did you see that!"

"Kyaa~ They're so adorable!"

—except for her two nosy but endlessly caring best friends.

Before Hanayo even knew it, she was pulled into the comforts of her home and faced with two pairs of expectant eyes looking at her.

"So? What'd the two of you do, hm?" Honoka asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as Hanayo felt her cheeks burn even more.

"We ate dinner at the cafe and watched a movie after. It was just our usual hangout." Hanayo answered truthfully, not knowing how to react in this situation because she didn't understand why her roommates were acting like they were expecting something more.

"Really? I thought the two of you were dating, considering how Rin-chan brought you flowers and stuff earlier." Honoka pouted, mildly disappointed, and Kotori nodded her head in agreement.

"There was also that kiss on the cheek earlier too." Kotori added with a dreamy sigh and Hanayo blushed harder; she had hoped they didn't see that. "That was so cute."

Wait a second.

"Does this mean that the two of you are fine with Rin-chan and I getting together?" Hanayo asked, embarrassed that she had to ask such a question aloud, and Honoka looked at Kotori, their eyes sharing the same sentiment of "did she seriously not realize that?"

"Of course we think it's fine if you and Rin-chan date." Kotori responded with a warm smile and Honoka bobbed her head vigorously, chin under her hand as she looked at Hanayo seriously.

"Yes, yes. Better Rin-chan than some unknown creep." Honoka agreed as if she were her parent and Kotori giggled at the sight.

"And Rin-chan has good manners, which undoubtedly came from Umi-chan." Kotori added with a dreamy smile, making Honoka laugh as she remembered a memory.

"But thankfully she's not as stiff as Umi-chan! Last week we pranked Yohane-sensei with Nozomi-chan by altering one of the wiki pages for summoning demons." Honoka commented with a snicker, making Kotori look at her with amusement.

"Is that why she's been performing rituals in front of Dia-sensei's class?" Kotori asked and Honoka laughed loudly.

"Yeah!"

Hanayo kept quiet throughout the conversation partly because she didn't know what to say but also because she was a bit shocked as to how Honoka and Kotori really liked Rin. Well, it was hard not to like Rin; she was too adorably eccentric to hate. It was more like she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that they didn't mind her _dating_ Rin.

Honoka and Kotori were always protective over her, which Hanayo appreciated after Rin had moved away—she couldn't count the amount of times people had tried to take advantage of her shy nature. However, this meant that her social and dating options were limited—not that Hanayo ever wanted to go out with someone because she found the concept too scary and out of her comfort zone. Every new school year, the two would research about her classmates just so they could find out who was fake, mean, or gross. They acted more like her parents than her own parents, which her mother used to laugh at sometimes.

"Take good care of my Hanayo-chan, momma #2!" is what she would say to Honoka, who would just nod her head and play along.

"Of course momma #1. After all, I've learned from the best!"

Then Kotori would tell her to calm down because Hanayo would get too red and everyone would laugh because Honoka would start to make things even more theatrical.

Ah, the good ol' times.

Back when she wasn't bombarded with tests, essays, presentations, and so much _stress_. It made her miss home and her mother.

 _'I should visit home someday.'_ Hanayo thought absentmindedly as her eyes glazed over in thought.

"You should make some moves on her Hanayo-chan!" Honoka spoke loudly, breaking her out of her thoughts, and she felt something familiarly warm rush into her cheeks once again.

"What should I do then?" She asked timidly because she only ever knew of things that happened in the romance movies they watched, and Hanayo wasn't sure if she could do an extravagant confession or more intimate gestures with Rin—just kissing her cheek short-circuited her brain.

Meanwhile, Honoka put her hand under her chin before clapping her hands excitedly, her eyes gleaming with mischievousness. Hanayo already knew that she was going to say something daft—half of the things she says are daft—and braced herself.

"You should bring her to an art museum and then kiss her in front of the art! The two of you love looking at art, right?" Honoka suggested with a wink, and Hanayo felt her face become an extremely dark shade of red as she was pulled back into memories of her visits to art museums with Rin.

They went to art museums a lot since Hanayo loved drawing, but she started going even more because the sight of Rin's mesmerized face was better than any piece of art in the world. She looked so beautiful, and it was as if she was a piece of art herself, making Hanayo think that—

"Y-You're not supposed to touch the masterpieces!" She blurted out her thoughts, making Honoka snort with amusement.

"Well somebody's gotta pin the artwork to the wall." Kotori cleverly added with a wink and Honoka couldn't help but break out into laughter, giving Kotori a high five.

"Nice one Kotori-chan!"

"Hehe, you're such a bad influence Honoka-chan."

"Psh, you know things would never get exciting if it weren't for me."

Meanwhile, Hanayo was silently mortified at how she spoke her thoughts aloud earlier. It wasn't as if she was lying though—she really thought everything about Rin was amazing. She loved her boundless energy, her dazzling smile, her affectionate chartreuse eyes, her adorable cat persona—she loved anything and everything about Rin, especially when she was in her own world. Sure, she had some flaws—everyone did—but Hanayo loved each and every part of her. This included her tendency to get into trouble (because it only meant that she could fuss over her more) and her terrible memes, some of which could somehow make her laugh despite how bad they were.

Although she loved Rin, she never figured out as to how and when friendship had developed into love. She remembered greatly enjoying Rin's company when they were younger and how devastated she was when she found out Rin had to move. She figured that it was because all her dormant feelings had exploded intensely when she saw her after a long period, and the more they hung out to make up for lost time, the deeper Hanayo fell.

Maybe this is what they meant by "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

"Seriously speaking, you can be a bit more forward." Kotori advised with a small smile while Honoka nodded as if she knew everything in the world, and Hanayo already knew whatever words would come out of Honoka's mouth would be unhelpful; by now, she knew what each expression she made truly meant.

"Some pickup lines would be great." Honoka grinned widely and Hanayo dreaded what she was going to say next; her pickup lines were always the worst. "Like, Kotori could say 'Are you a bird bath cause I'd love to take a dip in you.' to Umi-chan or something."

"Honoka-chan! I would never!" Kotori protested with an incredulous laugh and Hanayo found herself giggling along because that pickup line was so _bad_. "And this is about Hanayo-chan, not me."

Life had always been like this since she became best friends with Honoka and Kotori. Honoka would say something crazy and Kotori would reel her back in, and it never failed to amuse Hanayo. She loved how kind, funny, and sweet they were. She loved how exciting and fun every day was with them. She loved them dearly.

"Jeez Honoka-chan, keep quiet for once will you?" Kotori pouted and Honoka complied, her giggles dying out, "As we were saying, you could be more forward with your affection."

"So how would I do that?" Hanayo asked, genuinely curious because she wanted to do something that didn't require heightened physical contact and thought that they would have other ideas. On the other hand, her two roommates looked at her as if she were an angel.

She probably was, considering how pure and innocent she was compared to the rest of the campus.

"Things like holding hands more, hugging," Honoka suggested before wagging her eyebrows and winking, "kissing on the—Ow! Kotori-chan!"

"Don't give Hanayo-chan those types of ideas!" Kotori interrupted and Honoka pouted.

"I was just gonna say lips, jeez!" Honoka defended while nursing her hurt arm.

"And not the other set of lips?" Kotori asked with a raised eyebrow, making Honoka laugh nervously.

"A-As if I would advise that to our sweet and pure Hanayo-chan!" Honoka replied with a sheepish smile and Kotori shook her head in disapproval.

Hanayo blushed, knowing what they were talking about, "Well, I'm not as closed off as you two think."

Honoka and Kotori gasped in shock before Honoka grabbed her shoulders.

"Who was it? Who has tainted your purity with shameless images!" Honoka yelled as she shook her and Hanayo almost cried if it weren't for Kotori pulling Honoka away.

Only to do the same thing to her.

"Who was it! We need to know Hanayo-chan!" Kotori insisted and Hanayo put her hands on Kotori's in an attempt to calm her down. Thankfully, it did.

"I know about kissing and, um, the other things from all the romance movies we've watched, remember?" Hanayo said with a relieved breath, "And I've already taken sex education."

"Right, right. I can't believe I forgot about that." Honoka sheepishly replied and Kotori smiled with embarrassment.

More like they forgot she was in college again. It happened sometimes, but it was expected from Honoka and Kotori; they were practically her second family after all.

"Sorry Hanayo-chan. We just want to make sure that you—"

"—know what I'm doing. I know." Hanayo finished with a small smile.

Honoka and Kotori may have been a bit overbearing sometimes but they really did just want the best for Hanayo, and she was forever grateful for that. Although they were overprotective, they did know when to leave her alone to learn how to be independent, and she appreciated that they knew when to give her space. Nevertheless, the one thing Hanayo was eternally grateful for was their endless support for her, whether it be for her love of idols or her love for Rin. And in turn, Hanayo would lend them her support.

After all, Honoka wasn't the only person who could come up with schemes.

* * *

"Is it just me, or has Hanayo been a lot more forward lately?" Umi asked as she, Honoka, and Kotori were in one of the study halls studying like usual.

They all may have been in different majors, but Umi insisted they meet up at least three times a week because the outcome was always rewarding.

In other words, no one else could successfully babysit Honoka.

Honoka didn't hate it that much; she was able to get a really smart tutor for _free_. That, and she knew others who would do anything to be in her position (because Umi had _way_ too many suitors for her own good).

"Mhm, it's not just you." Kotori answered with a sweet smile and Umi's gaze stuck to her, making Honoka roll her eyes.

"Look at these losers." Honoka muttered under her breath and Umi's attention went to her.

"What was that?"

"I said that I don't need a tutor." Honoka lied with a nervous cough and Umi raised her eyebrow.

"You failed all of your classes last year."

"Do you really have to bring that up again, Umi-chan?" Honoka grumbled as she remembered all the days she spent with Kotori and Umi studying her ass off and begging for extra credit, "Let's get back to Hanayo-chan now cause she really has been forward."

"I'm assuming it's because of you." Umi blandly commented as she saw Honoka's proud grin and shook her head in disapproval, "We should get back to work and not gossip like some housewives."

"Well, you did bring it up." Honoka replied as she stuck her tongue out at her, making Kotori giggle.

"She's right, Umi-chan." Kotori sent her a knowing smile and Umi blushed lightly.

"That's true, but I said it as an observation and not as a starter for a type of discussion that I dislike partaking in." Umi defended and Kotori giggled.

"Are you sure it's not because of your overprotectiveness for Rin-chan?" Kotori asked, her amber eyes gleaming with something Honoka usually saw in Nozomi's and she inwardly shuddered; their intuition was always spot on, and it scared Honoka a lot.

As usual, Umi got all embarrassed because Kotori could do absolutely _nothing_ and she would still get flustered.

"Well, it may have been because of that." She replied in defeat and Kotori giggled at her. "That, and I feel like she's planning something."

"Hm, I thought I was the only one." Kotori commented with a thoughtful hum, thinking about the time when she and Umi were coincidentally locked inside one of the lecture rooms. She faintly remembered seeing brown hair from the small window on the door but overlooked the small detail, especially since more than half of the campus had brown hair. Other than that, she wanted to thank whoever locked them inside—she was able to see many adorable sides of Umi.

"Oh, but remember when she gave me those rice balls the other day?" Umi brought up and Kotori nodded.

"Yeah, those were really good!" She exclaimed with a small smile.

"She told me to share them with you, saying something about those being one of your favorite kind." Umi confessed with a light blush.

"Really? That's so cute and thoughtful of her." Kotori smiled warmly and Umi stared at her, captivated by her radiating smile.

"Yeah..."

"How have they not noticed yet..." Honoka mumbled as she stared at her laptop lazily, used to the two drifting off into some other conversation. That didn't mean that Honoka was usually left out—in fact, she was almost always a part of whatever they were talking about. It was just that there would be some days, like right now, where she would be too lazy or tired to pay attention. Unfortunately, Umi was oddly attentive today so Honoka's silent comment wasn't unheard, and from the corner of her eye she saw Umi break out of her staring contest with Kotori (Honoka liked to call them staring contests because they always looked at each other for about a whole _minute_ without talking) to look at her direction.

"Something the matter, Honoka?"

"Nah fam, just thinking about how cute Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan would look like if they got together." Honoka replied as she read the pdf file in her laptop mechanically and Umi blinked in confusion.

"Fam? What does that mean?" Umi asked like the old-fashioned grandma she was and Kotori shot her an amused smile.

"It's slang for 'family'." Kotori answered but Umi was still confused.

"But I'm not a part of Honoka's family?"

Honoka groaned at how Umi didn't see what her main point was; it was almost amusing how oblivious she was.

Almost. Because some days she would laugh and other days, like today, she would feel like smacking her in the face.

"I think you're missing the bigger picture."

Umi blinked, and then blinked again. Then her eyes became wide before they narrowed with suspicion. She then glared at Honoka, who just gave her a lazy grin.

"What exactly are you implying here?"

"That, I dunno, maybe Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan are prob gonna be dating soon. You said so yourself earlier that Hanayo-chan's been forward lately." Honoka promptly explained as she took a piece of bread out and chewed it blissfully, already feeling her energy coming back. She ignored Umi's disapproving look and smiled happily; it was good she made this a part of her deal with Umi a year ago.

She _loved_ the bread their school sold, although she wished that they would sell strawberries too; those were her absolute favorite. It's a shame that she had to go out of her way to buy them otherwise she'd eat those more often. At least bread wasn't a seasonal type of food.

"Anyone could see it coming from the way they look at each other sometimes." Honoka added with a satisfied smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Umi asked, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and Honoka almost groaned at how annoyingly dense she was.

Well, it was Umi. She couldn't tell what flirting was even if it slapped her in the face.

Poor Kotori. She kind of felt bad for her.

"Well, if you catch them when they're alone—which isn't hard since they're almost always hanging out near the cafeteria or with Nico at the cafe—they're usually stuck in their own world. If they weren't so cute about it, I would've thrown up at how affectionate they are." Honoka responded after swallowing her bread and Umi hummed in recognition.

"So that's what Nozomi meant by there being a colorful future for us." Umi muttered before sighing and looking at Honoka and Kotori, "As long as Hanayo treats Rin right, then I guess I'm fine with those two dating."

Honoka wasn't surprised at Umi's lack of resistance to the two dating; Rin and Hanayo would probably win the "cutest and purest campus couple" award or something.

"As if those two would do each other wrong. They're even more inseparable than Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan, and we all know how clingy Eli-chan can get." Honoka laughed with a wide grin and Kotori giggled while Umi hummed with amusement.

"That's true; I doubt those two will have any problems unlike half of the campus who can't seem to keep their hands amongst themselves." Umi mused with disapproval and Kotori held back a groan at the sight of Honoka's eyes gleaming with an expression she knew all too well; she knew she was going to do something stupid.

To be fair, it was a perfect moment for Honoka to execute her plan. That being said, she sent a SOS text to her comrades and hoped that they pulled through.

"Well, time can never mend the careless whispers of a good friend." Honoka spoke and Umi nodded her head slowly.

"That's true, though I'm a bit surprised that you thought of it that way." Umi commented with approval, not knowing that she was falling into Honoka's trap.

"To the heart and mind, ignorance is kind." Honoka continued with a low voice and Umi looked at her with confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Honoka? That doesn't really make sense."

"There's no comfort in the truth," Honoka continued and held back a grin when she felt her phone vibrate twice. Meanwhile, Kotori let her groan out because Honoka was way too weird for her own good, "pain is all you'll find!"

"Honoka-chan, can you please not—"

Suddenly, Nico burst in with a saxophone, playing "Careless Whisper" as Honoka sang the chorus. Rin was right behind her, recording everything.

"Honoka, what the fu—"

"I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm~" Honoka sang as she got on top of the table, her eyes closed tightly as if she was heartbroken, with Nico getting on top of the table with her and dancing while playing the saxophone.

"So I'm never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you~" Honoka ended on her knees with her fists still in the air, clutching some nonexistent substance as her eyes were closed in mock-pain.

"I got it!" Rin exclaimed when they were done, "Nozomi-chan's not gonna believe this!"

Rin had recorded it all, from Honoka's terrible heartbroken act to Kotori's exasperated expression to Umi's reaction, which went from "what the hell just happened" to "I hate my life why do I know these people".

"Haha, she owes us $25 now!" Honoka laughed as she gave got off the table and gave a high five to both Nico and Rin.

"Honoka-chan, I think Umi-chan needs an explanation." Kotori brought up as she gestured towards Umi, whose face was unbearably blank, making Honoka laugh sheepishly.

Good ol' Kotori being the mediator who pulled Honoka back into reality.

"Uh, Nozomi-chan said that, well, I didn't have the balls to Rick Roll Umi-chan and well, I said that I did and I even told her that I'd do Careless Whisper instead and then Rin-chan and Nico-chan joined in and well, here we are." Honoka lamely responded with a sheepish smile and Umi blinked before groaning loudly.

"I don't even know what to think except that it's appalling how 'Careless Whisper' was the first thing that came to your mind when I mentioned that half of the campus couldn't keep their hands to themselves." Umi said with her eyes closed and her hands holding her head as if she had a headache. After a moment, she brought them down to give Honoka a glare. "That, and I wish to acquaint your facial features with a fundamental item utilized in building walls."

"What?" Honoka asked with confusion and Kotori laughed nervously.

"She wants to hit your face with a brink, Honoka-chan."

"Oh."

"Gotta blast." Nico responded with a nervous smile and Rin nodded silently, avoiding Umi's glare. Honoka looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Bro."

"Sorry bro, I'm not down for this."

"Yeah, nya." Rin said before whispering, "I live with her, you should be scared for me."

"I heard that."

"N-Nya. See you later."

With that, Rin and Nico quickly left, the saxophone still in Nico's hands, which looked funny on her considering how it was half her height.

"How does she even have a saxophone?" Umi mumbled, still in some form of disbelief over what just happened.

"Probably from the music room." Kotori suggested as she rubbed Umi's shoulder to help her relax and Umi sent her a grateful smile in response—

"Or from her sugar momma."

—only for her lips to curl down into a frown once more.

"Honoka, half of the things that have come out of your mouth today have made no sense whatsoever." Umi replied blandly and Honoka smiled proudly.

"Ah, the great Umi-sama has admitted that she has inferior intelligence than I, the great Kousaka Honoka."

"You do know that I meant it with the opposite sentiment." Umi raised her eyebrow with a deadpan voice and Honoka pouted, "And stop with that "greatness" act; you sound like Nico."

"Umi-chan, you gotta let me dream a little." Honoka replied and Umi gave her a deadpan look.

"Keep saying absurd statements and those dreams will be gone."

"Now, now." Kotori smiled warmly at their exchange; it was amusing to watch Umi keep up with Honoka's train of thoughts, "We should get back to studying now."

"Kotori is right. Just because we won't share any classes next semester doesn't mean that I'll let you off the hook." Umi ordered sternly and Honoka groaned.

Well, there were other ways to distract Umi, and one of Honoka's favorites was to test her. Umi never backed down when it came to something like that; she was always competitive when it came to knowledge.

"Well, I have a couple of questions that someone like Umi-chan wouldn't know. If you answer at least 2 out of the 3 correctly, then we can study."

"You do know that you're not in the position to be bargaining, right?" Umi asked with her eyebrows raised but Kotori put a hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her from saying more.

"It won't take too much time, Umi-chan. Plus, Honoka-chan always comes up with some interesting questions." Kotori smiled softly as she sent a discreet wink to Honoka, who grinned widely before wiping it off her face because Umi would find it suspicious. Honoka loved how Kotori would go along with her plans sometimes.

"Fine, I guess I can take a couple minutes off for some questions." Umi sighed and Honoka cheered.

"Okay, okay. So the first one is more of a common sense question." Honoka started with a grin before continuing, "Would you rather eat a pound of bricks or a matter baby?"

"What's a matter baby?" Umi questioned, her eyebrows furrowed as Honoka held back a laugh.

"Nothing baby, what's a matter with you?" Honoka replied with a wink and laughed loudly. Kotori giggled along too, moving over the table to give her a high five.

"Nice one Honoka-chan!"

"Of course! If Tsubasa-chan falls for it, then Umi-chan would definitely fall for it too!"

"Honoka, I swear to—" Umi started with irritation but was cut off by Honoka's ringtone, which was one of the songs Umi hated the most.

 _"Work work work work work work he see me have to work work work work work work,"_

"Whoo, this is my jam!" Honoka yelled with a broad grin and Umi groaned loudly.

"Honoka, will you please answer your—"

 _"—he see me do me dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt, so me put in work work work work work work—"_

"—It's pretty catchy though." Kotori commented, already used to the ringtone but Umi groaned.

"No it isn't. It's meaningless and annoy—"

 _"—when you all gon learn learn learn learn learn learn—"_

"—Honoka I swear—"

"—yes, yes. You need to soothe your boobs Umi-chan." Honoka pouted as she accepted the call, "It's Honks, what's up?"

"Honks? That's cute. Can I be a tuba then?" came an amused tone and Honoka gasped.

"Tsubasa-chan! Sorry about that; Umi-chan was bugging me so I didn't see who was calling me." Honoka laughed sheepishly and ignored Umi's glare but Tsubasa just hummed with amusement from the other line.

"There's nothing to be apologetic about; you've done nothing wrong." Tsubasa paused before continuing with a small laugh, "Well, if you can count being adorably cute wrong."

"Jeez, Tsubasa-chan, I'm not the cute one; you are!" Honoka blushed and hoped that Kotori's hand was enough to keep Umi at bay, "But anyways, what's up?"

"Nothing, just wondering if you would be free tomorrow night."

"Well, I've done most of my work and I think I've studied enough to get a good score so I'm sure I can hang tomorrow." Honoka replied energetically. She loved going out with Tsubasa; she knew all these good restaurants that were somewhat cheap despite its supreme quality.

She felt a bit weird about their relationship though. Tsubasa did establish that they had been going out on dates right from the start, but she had never asked her to be her girlfriend. Did Honoka misunderstand what Tsubasa had meant by "dates" or were they already dating?

But during their "dates", Tsubasa would be the epitome of a gentlewoman: she would open the door for her, push her seat in, give her jacket when it got cold, and do all the other chivalrous things one could do. That, and she would always smile and flirt with her.

Either they were really good gal pals or Honoka was missing something.

"That's great! I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6 then."

"Awesome. Where are we going this time?" Honoka asked, anticipating another great restaurant that Tsubasa had found.

"Well, I was wondering if you would want to taste my cooking this time around."

Record scratch.

First of all, Tsubasa seemed nervous for some reason. Second of all, Tsubasa's cooking meant going to the condo she lived in. Going to the condo she lived in meant that they would be alone during the night. Them being alone during the night meant—

 _'—Woah Honks. Let's chill your gay ass for a second and give her a reply first.'_

"That'd be great. I've always wanted to see your place." Honoka admitted with a small blush and she swore she heard Tsubasa silently exhale with relief.

"I'd like to visit your place too, especially since I always pick you up from there. I'm actually surprised I haven't gone inside yet." Tsubasa commented before laughing sheepishly, "I hope I wasn't too forward with inviting you over so suddenly."

"Don't worry about it; I'll always make time for you." Honoka replied truthfully and she thought she heard Tsubasa stop breathing for a second.

"I hope you think I don't feel the same; I love every moment we spend together." Tsubasa responded charmingly and Honoka felt her heart race increase exponentially, "I'm afraid I have to hang up; I've got a report I need to finish tonight."

"That's okay. See you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow. I can't wait."

Honoka couldn't help the goofy grin from forming on her face after the call ended. She put her hands on her cheeks and laid her elbows on the table, staring blankly at the wall with a happy giggle.

"Hehe, Tsubasa-chan said she loves spending time with me."

"That same 'Tsubasa-chan' also invited you over to her condo at _night_." came a dark voice and Honoka promptly snapped out of it.

She turned over and saw Kotori smiling nervously, her hand on Umi's shoulder to keep her from moving over the table and snatching Honoka's phone away. Honoka pouted at the sight of Umi's glare and stuck her tongue out.

"You should hakuna your tatas Umi-chan."

"First of all, I don't know what that means, as usual seeing that it came from your mouth."

"Hey!"

"Second of all," Umi continued with a suspicious glare, "are the two of you even dating? Does she even treat you right? What's her background? Where does she live? Does she work anywhere? What's her phone number? I'm going to call her right now and—"

"Umi-chan!" Kotori interrupted as she placed her hand on Umi's cheek to get her attention, and get her attention she did. Umi shut up faster than Honoka could stuff bread into her mouth, which was actually really fast. "You're being a bit too overprotective."

Umi blushed with embarrassment but relaxed noticeably. When Kotori removed her hand and put it over hers, she let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry; I guess I went a bit overboard." Umi admitted as Kotori rubbed her thumb on her hand in comfort, "I guess I just want you to be safe, especially since you'll be eating dinner with someone I don't know too well."

Honoka blinked at the scene before her. It reminded her of her father and mother whenever they would scold her, and she couldn't help but giggle at the uncanny parallel. The stern, suspicious face Umi sported resembled that of her father when he found out that she was going out on a date with someone back in high school while Kotori had this calming, patient smile that her mother had whenever her father got a bit too much.

"It's okay, Umi-chan. I know you only mean the best." Honoka replied with a small smile, "Tsubasa-chan isn't as bad as you think she is. We should all hang out next weekend so the two of you can officially meet!"

Honoka briefly wondered how they haven't met yet since they had the same major but guessed it was because she was a year older.

"But isn't the celebration for Eli-chan's birthday next weekend?" Kotori brought up and Honoka faltered before smiling again—she couldn't believe she forgot about that.

"Then the week after!"

"From what I heard, Nico's throwing a Halloween party, although I have no idea how she got Watanabe-san to host it at her beach house." Umi responded, more amazed than puzzled but Honoka waved her off.

"Don't worry; that's on Friday. We can meet up Saturday night." Honoka grinned widely before pausing and continuing, "Well, we can always meet up on Sunday if things get too wild."

"That's fine I guess." Umi sighed and Kotori giggled as she leaned her head onto Umi's shoulder.

"You're always looking after everyone Umi-chan." Kotori remarked with a small smile as she looked up, "I love that about you."

Umi blushed deeply at how close they had gotten and stuttered, "W-Well there's plenty that I love about you too."

Honoka blinked at the situation before her and instead of getting annoyed like usual, she decided to make the best out of it. She whipped out her phone with a devious smile and took a picture, inwardly cackling at how smart she—

 _'Flash'_

Shit.

"What was that?" Umi asked with a glare and Honoka laughed nervously.

"Nothing, nothing! I was just trying to take a picture of my laptop cause I found a meme to send to Rin-chan but I left the flash on." Honoka lied smoothly but Umi's suspicious gaze never wavered. However, Umi became distracted when Kotori giggled and put her hand over hers.

"I think we've been sidetracked for too long now; it's nearing 5." Kotori brought up with a gentle smile, trying to calm Umi down. Of course it worked—anything Kotori did either calmed her down or made her even more flustered.

"Ah, I didn't notice. Shall we pack up now?" Umi asked as she looked down at her watch and Kotori hummed thoughtfully.

"Hanayo-chan told me she's eating out with Rin-chan tonight so it's only going to be me and you again Honoka-chan." Kotori commented before looking at Umi with a hopeful smile, "Well, unless Umi-chan and Nozomi-chan would want to join us."

Honoka held back a snort at how Umi's resistance practically melted at the sight of Kotori's puppy eyes. Well, she couldn't blame her. No one could resist Kotori's puppy eyes.

"Nozomi mentioned that she was going to eat somewhere with Eli tonight so I wouldn't mind joining the two of you." Umi replied with an amused hum, no doubt at Nozomi and her surprisingly failed attempts to get Eli to realize that she liked her back. "Although I should tell Maki and Nico that I wouldn't be able to join them for dinner tonight."

"Let's invite them too!" Honoka added with a wide grin, "Nico-chan and I still need to go over on how to prank Matsuura-san."

"Honoka, you shouldn't be pranking our TAs." Umi stated as she shook her head with disappointment, "That's not polite, given the amount of work grad students have to—"

 _"—my anaconda don't,"_ came Honoka's phone once again, effectively interrupting Umi. She smiled nervously at the sight of Umi's glare.

"Honoka, I swear to—"

 _"—my anaconda don't—"_

"—whoever is up there that—"

 _"—my anaconda don't want none—"_

"—I'm going to smack you so hard—"

 _"—unless you got buns hun!"_

"—that they'll have to _deal_ with _you_."

"Nozomi-chan, what's up!" Honoka answered with a nervous laugh as Kotori physically held Umi back once again.

"I can't believe what you did to Umi-chan."

"I know right?" Honoka laughed at the memory and heard Nozomi's giggles on the other end.

"Hm, but first let me guess why you sounded nervous when you answered. Umi-chan was talking and my call interrupted, right?" Nozomi asked and Honoka gasped.

"Woah, what's up with your crazy intuition? That was totally right!" Honoka replied, still amazed that Nozomi's predictions were 100% accurate.

"Not really intuition. I knew you were studying with Umi-chan and Kotori-chan and there's only one reason as to why she'd be angry; you like to personalize your ringtones and most of the songs you put are the type that would annoy Umi-chan." Nozomi giggled over the line and Honoka could immediately imagine her amused smile.

"Well, you're not wrong." Honoka said as she looked at Umi, who had noticeably calmed down and was now gesturing her to tell Nozomi about their dinner plans, "Oh right, can you tell Nico-chan and Maki-chan that Kotori-chan and I are inviting them over for dinner? Umi-chan is eating with us too since Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan are going to eat out."

"Of course. Elichi and I haven't left yet."

"Ooo. Are you and Elichi gonna do anything scandalous?" Honoka teased and snorted when Umi's head snapped to her direction.

"Eli touches her and she's a dead woman." Umi coldly stated and Nozomi laughed, telling Honoka to put her on speakerphone.

"And here I thought you and Elichi were friends."

"We are friends, but I don't think I would like it if I found out she was having inappropriate relations with someone I consider my family before I have officially approved." Umi replied truthfully, eliciting a squeal from Kotori.

"Aw, Umi-chan, that's so cute~" Kotori smiled dreamily at how protective Umi was and Nozomi laughed.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness Umi-chan, but I don't think I have to remind you that I'm older and that Elichi would never do something like that."

"I would never do something like what?"

 _'Speak of the devil.'_ Honoka thought as she held back a giggle. Hearing Eli get embarrassed was always fun, especially since she usually wore an impassive expression in public.

"Nothing, darling. Just talking to Umi-chan, Honoka-chan, and Kotori-chan."

"H-Hey, I thought I told you that I don't like that nickname."

"So you would prefer another one?"

"You and I both know that's not what I meant."

"But I like it when you blush. Red is such a nice color on you."

"N-Nozomi!"

"Right." Honoka coughed, remembering that Nozomi embarrassing Eli always led her flirting, and Nozomi laughed, "Well I hope your date goes well."

"Knowing Elichi, it'd probably go better than expected." Nozomi responded, ignoring Eli's questions of what she meant by "it". She told Eli to shush for a minute before going back to her phone, "I'll talk to you some other time. Don't worry, I'll tell Maki-chan and Nicocchi about dinner."

"Don't forget my $25!"

"As if I could. Honks, keep honking!"

"Honk!" Honoka honked and the two laughed before ending the call. Honoka then looked at Umi, who just stared at her in disbelief.

"What the hell was that?"

"What? This?" Honoka asked before honking again and Umi just stared at her weirdly before sighing and placing her hands on her face.

"I have the weirdest friends in the world."

"Does that mean I'm weird Umi-chan?"

"Of course not! You're the only exception."

"Aw, Umi-chan, you're making me blush."

Honoka looked at the two and let out a silent giggle. They were (sometimes) adorable when they were focused on each other and it allowed her to see a different side of both Kotori and Umi. So, instead of inwardly complaining about it, Honoka just rested her elbows on the table and brought her hands up to her cheeks, smiling happily at the two.

 _'Hanayo-chan was right.'_ Honoka thought with amusement as Umi gave Kotori a small smile, making the latter blush lightly. _'Seeing other people happy really does make you feel happy.'_

"Honoka? Is something the matter?" Umi asked when she caught Honoka smiling at her and Kotori.

"Nah fam, just watching my ship sail." Honoka responded with a wink to Kotori, who blushed darkly at her reference.

"Honoka-chan!" She replied with embarrassment as Umi looked at them with confusion.

"Ship? But there are no ships here?" Umi asked while looking around, terribly confused as to why Kotori was blushing and Honoka was laughing.

"Don't worry about it Umi-chan." Honoka waved her off with a giggle before packing up her things, "Don't we have a dinner to make?"

"Mou, I'll get you next time Honoka-chan." Kotori pouted with a fake sniffle and Honoka laughed before she thought of something really good.

"Hey!" Honoka started with a mischievous look because another opportunity for one of her other bets had arrived, and Kotori looked at her with pleading eyes. But Honoka will not fall victim this time because her idea was for the greater good (she needed extra cash in order to buy Eli's gift). "Why don't you go cheer her up Umi-chan?"

Umi looked at her questioningly before speaking, "How do you suppose I do that?"

"Well, Kotori-chan does like it when I pat her head. Sorta like how you would pat Rin-chan's head." Honoka suggested, inwardly smirking when Kotori blushed.

"Is that true Kotori?" Umi asked, who found it adorable when Korori smiled nervously.

"Yeah, mama used to do that whenever I got scared." Kotori admitted with a shy smile. Umi promptly moved closer to her and brought up her hand to gently caress her ashen locks.

"Are you feeling better now?" Umi asked softly and Kotori smiled warmly.

"Yes, even more so that I'm with you." Kotori replied as she leaned more into Umi's warmth.

And what was Honoka doing?

She was taking pictures—without flash this time—to send to Rin because she _totally_ won the bet they made earlier. Also, she was going to save it for later if Kotori ever wanted any candid shots of her and Umi. It seemed like today was Honoka's lucky day, considering how her wallet had gotten $50 fatter and she had gotten another date with her crush.

 _'It seems like we all hopped aboard the gay train.'_ Honoka thought with a proud smile as she relaxed in her seat, _'And it's a one-way trip to Gayville.'_

* * *

Unbeknownst to Honoka, that one-way trip skipped Gayville and went straight to the double-rainbow city of 24/7 gay parades.

Right, it's probably best to explain why. Let's go to the beginning.

Kotori hadn't imagined that she would spend today like this. She thought that she would stay in the house and alternate between studying and designing like usual or texting Honoka about her date—which was rescheduled to a full day date from morning to night, which Honoka didn't mind at all—with Tsubasa, but that changed when Nozomi sent her an SOS text:

 _"pls come over asap it's very important!"_

In all honestly, she didn't know what to expect with the really vague text Nozomi had sent her. Well, she thought that there had been some trouble with Umi considering how she knew about her affections for her but wow, she was in for a pleasant surprise.

Once she had received Nozomi's text, she rushed over immediately, thinking something was wrong. However, there was nothing terrible that had happened—it was actually the opposite.

"Thanks for calling us over Nozomi-chan." Kotori said distractedly with her eyes glued to one figure and Nozomi hummed noncommittally.

"It's no problem." Nozomi replied as she sipped on some water to quench her extreme thirst.

It was exceptionally warm despite it being autumn and Kotori was sitting with Nozomi, Nico, and Hanayo on the porch of the house Nozomi lived in. They had set up four chairs into some sort of semi-circle with a small table in the middle and were all chatting amongst themselves—well, that's what it looked like. They were all actually staring at the group of women in front of them.

Kotori's eyes trailed from Umi's well-defined arms down to her stomach. She was wearing a tank top because of the heat and thankfully for Kotori, it rode up often, showing off her six pack. Kotori was eternally grateful for being alive at the same time as Umi was because _damn_ was she _hot_. She had long, lean legs, toned arms, and a deliciously good looking six pack, and Kotori couldn't stop staring at her figure. She looked even better than the first time she had seen her at the park.

It wasn't like she was the only one who was staring. Nozomi was shamelessly staring at Eli's _ass_ ets while Nico was silently appreciating at Maki's toned stomach, which Kotori didn't expect her to have considering how busy she was all the time. Hanayo was also staring at Rin but mainly at her butt because it was perfectly shaped. Even Kotori had to admit that it was one of the best she's seen, which was a high praise considering the amount of models she's seen. However, unlike Kotori, Nozomi, and Nico, Hanayo was flustered at the prospect of staring and would occasionally glance down at her drink before looking back up.

The reason why Umi, Rin, Eli, and Maki had decided to work out together today was because they were free and Umi wanted to "strengthen their bonds" or something of the sort. Of course, after Nozomi found out, she immediately called the other girls so they could relax and enjoy the good view.

After the four had finished running around the block a couple times, they spent time under the oak tree in the front yard, stretching leisurely because they had run quite a bit.

"Let's do some sit-ups; I haven't done those in a while, nya." Rin suggested after a while with a sheepish smile while patting her stomach lightly. Like Umi, she was wearing a tank top that would also ride up if she moved too much. "Some push-ups and squats would be good too."

Eli and Maki were the ones more comfortable with showing off, wearing only a sports bra with athletic shorts. They claimed it increased their mobility, but Kotori thought that they just wanted to appeal to Nozomi and Nico. It worked, seeing as how Nozomi and Nico couldn't get their eyes off of them. Kotori was slightly jealous of the two, but hey, she'll take what she could get.

"Do you need more water?" Nozomi asked, surprisingly playing the role of a good host despite how distracted she was, and Umi smiled gratefully.

"Yes, that would be great." Umi responded a bit breathlessly, and Kotori sighed dreamily.

Nozomi went into the house before coming back out with four ice cold bottles of water. She gave them to Umi, Rin, and Maki without trouble, but with Eli, she decided to play around a bit.

"Hey Elichi." Nozomi greeted and Eli looked up from her position on the mat they had laid out earlier with a tired smile.

"Hey Nozomi." Eli responded and she saw the water in her hands, "Is that for me?"

"Mhm," Nozomi hummed but shook her head with a teasing grin when Eli tried to take it from her, "Nu uh. You need to stand up and get it from me."

"Jeez Nozomi." Eli slightly huffed as she got up before continuing, "Okay, I'm up." She reached for it but Nozomi receded her hands, making Eli frown slightly.

"Nozomi." Eli gave her a warning glance but Nozomi just giggled. She made it seem like she was going to give Eli the water bottle but before Eli could take it, she took it back again. Eli gave her a mock-glare and Nozomi just grinned at her. She moved closer to try and take the bottle away but Nozomi put it behind her back. Eli raised her eyebrow and Nozomi smiled sweetly. Eli stepped forward but somehow tripped on the grass, her face landing directly between Nozomi's boobs. Nozomi immediately put out one hand on her arm and the other on her stomach to steady her.

It was totally on purpose, Kotori noted, as she saw Nozomi's triumphant smirk and the positioning of her hands.

"Oh my god, can the two of you stop flirting in public?" Nico complained instantly and Kotori laughed at how red Eli got. She saw Umi's death glare and interrupted in order to minimize the collateral damage.

"Umi-chan!" Kotori called over with a small wave and Umi stopped glaring at Eli to give her a questioning look, "Can you come here really quick?"

Umi glanced at Eli before letting out a small sigh and walking to where Kotori was. She looked a bit more comfortable under the full shade of the porch and Kotori had to restrain herself from touching her; Umi looked way much sexier up close.

"Did you need something?" Umi asked and Kotori managed to say yes.

"Well, I was wondering what you do to get a six pack like that." Kotori answered with an innocent smile and Umi pondered for a bit before answering, taking the question seriously.

"I usually get in 2 sets of 50 sit-ups every morning and then I run around—"

Kotori wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at Umi's legs. How were they so long and beautiful and—

"—ori. Kotori, are you okay?" Umi asked and Kotori blinked before smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Why are you all outside anyways?"

"No reason." Kotori answered but was distracted by Nozomi's gestures. At seeing she was trying to portray, Kotori immediately understood.

Kotori made a move to get up from her seat but purposely tripped, her hands landing on Umi's stomach.

It's safe to say she almost died at how hard it was. It wasn't defined to the point that they were rock hard, but wow, was it a pleasant sensation. Wait a second, did Umi just—

 _'Yes. Yes she did.'_ Kotori inwardly squealed as she felt Umi's stomach flex.

"Woah, there. Are you sure you're fine? Maybe you need some water." Umi said worriedly as she held her shoulders and Kotori giggled nervously, but before she could answer, Eli and Nozomi indirectly interrupted.

"Wow Elichi, you have a great body."

"Really? I'm not as toned as Umi, but I do try to work out when I'm free—a-ah, N-Nozomi, w-what are you doing?" Eli's embarrassed voice rang out and Kotori saw Umi's eyebrow twitch.

Kotori didn't need to look over Umi to see what Nozomi was doing.

"Oh, am I not allowed to touch?" Nozomi asked and Kotori could practically hear her smirk from where she was.

"W-Well, I mean, you can, uh, if you want." Eli lamely answered and Kotori saw the fire light up in Umi's eyes. However, before she could do anything, Nico got up from her seat and squirted water at the two.

"Nicocchi, you got me _wet_!" Nozomi exclaimed with a wink and Nico groaned.

"For the love of whoever is up there, please stop flirting. It's annoying." Nico spat out and Kotori, whose hands were still on Umi's stomach, reluctantly pulled away so she could properly calm her down.

"Umi-chan, don't worry about those two." Kotori whispered with a small smile as she held Umi's hand and squeezed it lightly, "Eli would never do her wrong."

Umi's eyes softened slightly at her expression and she sighed softly, "I know. But I can't help but get worried."

"I understand how you feel." Kotori replied as she saw Rin go up to Hanayo with an energetic smile. The two started talking amiably, although Kotori did see that Hanayo was more distracted than usual. "But you should understand we're not in high school anymore. They can take care of themselves now."

"Hm..." Umi hummed noncommittally as she eyed Hanayo and Eli.

"I thought we were supposed to be working out." Maki's bored voice interrupted the atmosphere and Nico nodded her head.

"Yeah. You're all supposed to be working out." Nico agreed quickly, making Nozomi smirk.

"Nicocchi just wants to see Maki-chan flex, doesn't she?" Nozomi teased and Nico choked on her drink while Maki blushed.

"W-What? As if. You're the one shamelessly touching Eli." Nico protested and Nozomi giggled.

"Yes. You were shamelessly touching Eli." Umi restated and Eli nervously laughed at the sight of her glare.

"Umi-chan, you should hakuna your tatas, nya!" Rin exclaimed and Hanayo giggled at the reference.

"Oh great. First Honoka, now you." Umi sighed before continuing, "Come on, let's just finish our set."

"I'll get us a towel, Elichi." Nozomi said with a smile and Eli, who was still blushing, nodded in appreciation. Once Nozomi dried herself, she handed it to her.

"Thanks." Eli shot her a grateful smile and Nozomi smiled in return.

"It's no problem, especially for someone as sexy as you." Nozomi gave her a wink, laughing when Eli's face turned a darker shade of red before moving back to her seat. Kotori discreetly gave her a high five and giggled lightly.

"Nice." Kotori commented and Nozomi winked at her.

"Of course, though I'm actually surprised Elichi doesn't realize that I'm seriously interested with her." Nozomi admitted and Nico snorted.

"It's cause you always play it off as a joke, tits. Maybe next time do something more serious." Nico brought up with a glare and Nozomi giggled at how protective she was getting. She seemed like she didn't care but she did, and Kotori found it adorable how she showed it. Nico was like a chihuahua—she barked at people she didn't know well and wouldn't hesitate to protect those she did.

It wasn't because chihuahuas are small. That was definitely _not_ one of the reasons.

"Well, you're not wrong about that. I do have something serious planned though, don't worry." Nozomi answered with sincerity before sending her a teasing smile, "That's enough about me, how are you and Maki-chan doing?"

Of course, Nico got red and started protesting, making Kotori and Hanayo giggle.

"W-What? We're nothing like that!" Nico denied and Nozomi hummed with amusement.

"You know nothing could get past me." Nozomi said as she pulled out her tarot cards, showing Nico the Lovers card. Nico frowned before sighing deeply, knowing that she was cornered. Kotori and Hanayo were looking at her expectantly, and she couldn't help but sigh in defeat. She might as well tell them the whole story now and not deal with them getting all over her ass about it later.

"Fine, fine. I've been in love with her since like, high school. So what?" Nico grumbled and Kotori gasped.

"For three years?" She and Hanayo asked in amazement and Nico's frown became deeper.

"Nico-chan, you should go for it!" Kotori advised and Hanayo nodded her head vigorously, uncharacteristically fervent.

"Yes. There's no way Maki-chan would say no." Hanayo added, fire burning in her eyes as Nozomi laughed.

"You see, Nicocchi? They think you should go for it too."

"But what am I supposed to do? Pop into her room one night and go, "Hey, I've loved you ever since I saw you?" No way." Nico sarcastically replied but Nozomi giggled.

"Don't fret about it too much Nicocchi. Fate has deemed that your chance will come soon." Nozomi answered with a mysterious smile and Nico groaned.

"For once, tits, can you not speak in riddles?" Nico drank the rest of the water she had in her cup before turning towards Hanayo and changing the subject, "And you, what's going on between you and Rin? She's been fidgety since yesterday." Nico eyed her suspiciously and Hanayo took an audible gulp.

"W-Well, I was trying to ask her out officially yesterday during dinner but then the waiter accidentally knocked down the glasses and I just, well, lost the courage to." Hanayo managed to speak, her voice drenched with anxiousness, "She asked me to continue but I couldn't, and I guess it's made her a bit more jumpy than usual."

"It's okay Hanayo-chan, you can do it!" Kotori cheered on and Nico nodded her head in agreement.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Rin made a move right now." Nico commented and Hanayo looked at her with surprise.

"You mean that she likes me back?" She asked in disbelief and Kotori giggled.

"I'd say it was obvious enough for Umi-chan to realize it." Kotori said and Hanayo sat still, frozen in thought.

"Nice going Nicocchi, now you froze Hanayo-chan."

"W-What? How is that my fault?"

"Are you guys okay, nya?" Rin interrupted and the three, excluding Hanayo turned their heads to look at her, "I noticed Kayo-chin getting a bit red just now. Is she okay?"

Rin was noticeably out of breath and the three behind her were doing some push-ups. While Kotori wanted nothing more than to see Umi's strong arms flex, she knew that her best friend was more important.

"Hanayo-chan." Kotori whispered as she nudged the brunette, and she squeaked in shock, "Go for it!"

"Go for what, nya?" Rin questioned, confusion plastered all over her face before she realized how Hanayo's face was getting redder by the second, "Kayo-chin, are you okay?"

"W-Well, um, Rin-chan, I need to ask you something." Hanayo started as she twiddled with her fingers. However, it was Nico, Nozomi, and Kotori's supportive gazes that got her to muster up the courage to stand up and walk over to Rin.

"What's up Kayo-chin?" Rin asked with a small smile and Hanayo returned it.

"W-Well, I was just, um, wondering if you would, um," Hanayo stuttered before saying really fast, "if you want to be my girlfriend!"

Cue three bodies hitting the mat.

"E-Eh?" Rin looked at her with surprise and Hanayo averted her eyes, almost looking forlorn. Rin smiled softly when Hanayo wouldn't look her in the eye and took her hands into hers, effectively establishing eye contact with her best friend.

"Of course I would love to be your girlfriend." Rin answered with the most loving smile she could muster, and Kotori felt her heart warm at the sight. Hanayo just looked down at her with disbelief, not really comprehending the situation until Rin laughed and picked her up into her arms.

"Ah~ Kayo-chin is so cute~ I love you Kayo-chin~" Rin exclaimed happily as she spun her around, making Hanayo laugh warmly with her.

"I love you too Rin-chan."

"Kyaa~ Look at my ship go!" Kotori squealed as the two girls were immersed with each other and Nozomi took out a handkerchief, mock-sniffling with a hidden smile.

"Look at my Rin-chan, she's all grown up now." Nozomi commented proudly and Nico hummed with amusement.

"Look at them go. They're so blissfully ignorant of the bigger problem here." Nico's statement made Kotori shift her eyes towards Umi, who was looking at the two with a hard gaze. Kotori knew what she was thinking and she thought it was best to calm her down once and for all.

"Umi-chan!" Kotori waved before getting up from her seat and walking over to her, "Umi-chan..."

At Kotori's pleading eyes, Umi sighed in defeat, "Yes, yes. I know." Umi walked over to Rin and Hanayo with Kotori by her side, making the two separate.

"U-Um, Umi-chan I—" Hanayo meekly started but Umi shook her head.

"It's okay. It's just that," Umi paused as she gave the two stern looks, "if I hear something stupid happened, I won't hesitate to give the one who's done wrong a piece of my mind. Got it, Rin, Hanayo?"

Rin and Hanayo audibly gulped and nodded, but the tense situation was broken by Nozomi's laughter.

"As if those two would do something bad to the other. Relax, Umi-chan." Nozomi said with an amused grin.

"Of course, nya! I love Kayo-chin." Rin proudly exclaimed and Hanayo blushed, giving Rin's hand a small squeeze.

"I love you too Rin-chan."

"Okay, we get it, the two of you love each other. Now can we get back to working out now? We still got some push-ups and squats to do." Maki grumbled and Nico glared at her.

"Hey, your best friends just got together. Shouldn't you be happy for them?" Nico challenged and Maki scoffed.

"Of course I'm happy for them—I've been trying to get them together since the week I met them."

"Well, evidently you didn't help much."

"S-Shut up! As if you could do any better!"

"Maki, Nico." Eli's authoritative voice rang out, making the group excluding the three to giggle. Just because the two didn't fight as often didn't mean that they still did.

"Yeah, yeah." Nico waved her off and before Rin went back to her work out, she gave Hanayo a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be right back Kayo-chin. Keep your eyes only on me, nya!" Rin said with a playful wink and Hanayo giggled.

"As if anyone else could get my attention from you." Hanayo replied before she gave Rin a kiss on her cheek, "Work hard, Rin-chan!"

"For you, nya!" Rin exclaimed as she jogged back to where Umi, Maki, and Eli were.

"So..." Nico started with a smirk as Hanayo sat down and fiddled with her cup, "are the two of you gonna go out later tonight? Specifically at the cafe?"

"I-I mean, maybe." Hanayo stuttered when three pairs of expectant eyes looked towards her, "Shouldn't we go somewhere else since it's our first official date?"

"It's up to you, although the cards are in favor of the cafe Nicocchi works in." Nozomi suggested with a mysterious smile and Nico grinned proudly.

"Of course. After all, I'm Nico-Nii, the best cook in the universe!" Nico exclaimed and Kotori giggled.

"Honoka-chan would immediately argue with you there." Kotori commented and Nico stuck her tongue out.

"Well, she's too busy hanging out with Tsubasa so it doesn't matter." Nico replied and Hanayo looked at Kotori curiously.

"Are they going out?" She asked and Kotori shrugged.

"I have no clue. Honoka-chan might officially ask her out today though." Kotori answered and Nozomi hummed in wonder.

"But what about you Kotori-chan? Any progress with our favorite oblivious grandma?" Nozomi teased and Kotori pouted.

"Umi-chan isn't _that_ behind when it comes to the internet. But there have been some situations that had led us to be closer." Kotori truthfully responded and Hanayo flinched, making Kotori gasp in amazement, "So it was you, Hanayo-chan!"

"I'm sorry! I just wanted the two of you to become closer." Hanayo bowed apologetically from her seat and Kotori laughed.

"It's not like that; I'm actually thanking you." Kotori smiled widely when Hanayo blushed with embarrassment.

"Well, there are some ways you can get her undivided attention." Nozomi brought up with a smirk and the three looked at her with curiosity, "Watch and learn."

Nozomi got up from her seat and "accidentally" dropped her water bottle. Immediately, four pairs of eyes snapped towards her. Nozomi concealed her smirk expertly as she made a huge show of picking it up, making sure to stick her butt out. Of course, three pairs of eyes looked away but the fourth didn't budge until someone nudged them hard. Nozomi then returned to her seat with a triumphant smirk and the three giggled loudly.

"Would that really work on Umi-chan?" Kotori asked curiously and Nozomi grinned widely.

"If it could work on Elichi, it will definitely work on Umi-chan."

* * *

"Eli, stop staring." Umi whispered and Eli coughed nervously when she realized that she got caught.

"I'm sorry! It's just that, well, she's way too sexy for her own good." Eli defended honestly before she took a swing of her water bottle to quench her extreme thirst, "I mean, you can't deny that she has a nice body."

"I know—I've been with her since we were kids. Every other week some guy makes an obscene comment about her butt." Umi replied blandly before grumbling, "And it feels weird knowing one of your best friends likes someone you consider family."

"Well, who wouldn't fall for Nozomi, nya? She's beautiful, smart, caring, and fun to be with!" Rin commented and Maki hummed in amusement.

"It's because we're all attracted to someone else already," Maki answered with a smirk directed at Umi, "and someone here likes birds a little too much."

"W-Well, at least I admit that I'm in love with someone." Umi retorted with a glare and Maki immediately rose from her push-ups to glare at Umi.

"What do you mean about that?" Maki challenged and Umi got up too, making Rin laugh nervously.

"Guys, calm down, nya. There's no reason to be fighting." Rin tried to dissuade the two and Umi paused for a moment before sighing.

"She's right. I'm sorry. We all have our own problems and I had no right to attack you." Umi apologized and Maki blinked before sighing.

"You're right. I'm sorry too I guess." Maki grumbled and Rin sighed in relief.

And what was Eli doing?

Staring at Nozomi's chest, which seemed fuller due to the tight tank top she was wearing. And no, that was not drool dropping down slowly from her mouth. Not at all.

"Eli, wipe your mouth. I'm sure you weren't raised to drool at girls with big breasts." Maki commented with a disgusted face and Eli blinked rapidly before wiping her mouth.

"I wasn't drooling at her." Eli protested with a nervous cough.

"Sure you weren't." Maki sarcastically replied.

"Can we get back to working out now, nya?" Rin brought up when she felt her right side get cold all of a sudden.

"Yes. Get back to working out." Umi stated coldly and Rin snickered silently.

"Hehe, I bet Eli-chan wants to work something else out right now." Rin whispered to Maki, who snorted in amusement but agreed.

"Elichi, Umi-chan, Rin-chan, Maki-chan!" Nozomi called out and the four looked up, "We'll be going inside now."

"Alright." Umi responded and Rin snickered.

"I bet Eli-chan wants to go inside somewhere else right now." Rin whispered again to Maki, who made a disgusted face.

"Okay, that one was way too explicit Rin." Maki responded uncomfortably and Rin giggled.

"Hehe. But wanna come to the cafe with me and Kayo-chin later? I'm planning on taking her out for lunch later." Rin brought up and Maki looked at her weirdly.

"Um, Hanayo is officially your girlfriend. Shouldn't the two of you be, you know, spending time together?" Maki replied in discomfort and Rin looked at her with confusion.

"Does that mean that I can't invite you to hang out with us anymore, nya?" Rin asked curiously and Maki sighed.

"No. But she asked you out today, and typically you go on an official first date or something." Maki said and Eli interrupted.

"And how would you know, Ms-I'm-in-love-with-Nico-but-won't-admit-it?" Eli teased and Umi spoke up.

"I knew it!" Umi exclaimed and Maki groaned.

"Shut up Ms-drools-at-Nozomi's-body." Maki retorted and Eli put her hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry that she's, pardon my language, ridiculously sexy and extremely hot. And to top that off with her sincere personality—I think I'm hooked for life." Eli responded so honestly that Maki was shocked; Eli actually admitted that she was into Nozomi _out loud_. In front of Umi no less."Sorry Umi. I know you probably feel uncomfortable with this."

Maki blinked at the situation before her. First, Hanayo asked Rin out. Then, Eli admits to liking Nozomi. What was going on today? Was the heat just making everyone do things they normally wouldn't do?

"It's fine." Umi sighed reluctantly before giving her a glare, and even though Eli was at least two inches taller, she stepped forward and looked straight into her blue eyes.

"Break her heart and you're _dead_." Umi threatened and Eli pushed away her fears—because Umi would probably actually kill her—and stood straighter.

"I wouldn't even think of doing so." Eli responded truthfully and Rin laughed.

"It's weird seeing the two of you do this in your workout clothes." Rin commented, breaking the tense atmosphere and after a short moment, Eli laughed lightly.

"The two of you started it." Eli brought up with a small smile and Maki hummed with amusement, liking how Eli smiled and laughed more often. Being with Nozomi really mellowed her out.

"Let's just get back to working out. The sooner we finish, the sooner Rin can go on her date and we can do whatever we want." Maki interrupted tonelessly and the rest agreed.

Once they started working out again, they ignored the feeling of eyes staring straight into their souls, having been used to it after their third lap around the block earlier. Of course, while they were bonding, the other four were too. And with Nozomi giving most of the advice, it's safe to say that the next time they were all together, shit would go down.

Someone please pray for Eli because it was her birthday celebration that was coming up.

* * *

 **AN:** I can't believe I forgot to give credit to nico-nasty for that terrible bird bath pick-up line. She's probably the #1 shitposter for Love Live, and I fucking love her shit posts.

Anyways, the next chapter is gonna be wild and probably just as long since I'll have a month to work on this. I hope y'all stick with me until the end though! By the way, it's mid-October during the story as of the moment, meaning that three to four months have passed by already. And if you think I should separate the chapters by perspective instead of putting them all into chapter, just leave a review or PM me. As always, reviews and criticisms are much appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** So, um, since I was late with uploading, here's a 17k update lol. School will start to chill out after November, which is when college apps are due, so I might be able to post double chapters each month. Other than that, I apologize if the characters are ooc or if there were any grammar mistakes; this was a pain in the ass to edit but fun as hell to write. I hope you enjoy and stick with me till the end!

* * *

There was something inexplicably pleasant about waking up early in the morning.

Maybe it was the gentle sound of the melodious songs the birds were singing. Maybe it was the invigorating breeze that the autumn air had brought upon the room. Or maybe it was the comfortable warmth that had encompassed Nico's entire body and spread from her heart all the way down to her toes, heightening even more when she realized that an arm was snugly wrapped around her waist.

Nico moved as carefully as she could in order to not wake the other up and couldn't help but smile softly at the scene before her.

Maki was sleeping peacefully with a small smile on her face. She looked content despite the ridiculous amount of time she had spent on studying for midterms, and Nico had to fight the urge to kiss her beautiful lips in fear of disrupting her serene state. But when Nico tried to move away so she could cook breakfast, Maki pulled her in closer until her head had rested atop of Nico's. In the end, Nico relented and snuggled more into her warmth, loving how tranquil the moment was.

The night before, Nico and Maki were talking in her room. Surprisingly, they hadn't argued a single time, only giving each other light jabs and teases every now and then. They had talked about everything, from how Nico's family was doing to Maki's discomfort at how exceedingly intimate Hanayo and Rin would get.

However, Nico had found it odd how she came into her room to casually hang out and after some pressing, she had discovered Maki's real motive. It turned out that Maki was anxious as to how she would take on her future responsibilities, of how exceedingly high the expectations her parents set for her. Nico wasn't surprised that Maki was insecure—everyone was—but this was eating her slowly and even though she tried to hide it, Nico saw past it all. She knew her too well to play into her facade.

And as Nico closed her eyes and relaxed in that comforting scent Maki held, she was immediately brought back to what had happened the night before.

 _"I'll be here for you." Nico reassured with a comforting smile because she wanted to anything to erase that uncharacteristic and anxious expression on Maki's face._

 _"Forever and always?" Maki asked, her voice filled with so much uncertainty and insecurity that Nico had to hug her right then and there._

 _"Forever and always." She replied softly before pulling away to see the small smile that appeared on Maki's face._

No words could explain just how much she wanted to protect that smile forever.

They had fallen asleep shortly after, and Nico admitted that it was one of best she had ever experienced. After all, she got on better terms with her crush _and_ was able to get some snuggling time in. And so Nico laid next to Maki, the soft smile still apparent on her face. But as much as Nico wanted to cuddle with Maki until late afternoon, she had more important things to do.

"Maki." Nico whispered and she heard Maki's breathing pattern change. After a beat of silence, she received a light noncommittal hum.

"Maki." Nico tried this time but with more insistence, and she was met with the tightening of the arms around her waist.

"As much as I want to stay here with you, I need to make breakfast and meet up with Nozomi." Nico spoke quietly and smiled in amusement when Maki let out a soft whine.

"It'll be cold when you leave, Nico-chan." Maki complained lightly, revealing her sleepy violet eyes as Nico let out a couple giggles.

"Watch what you say Maki." Nico teased and giggled more when Maki frowned and pulled her arms away, moving so that she could face the other side.

"Maki~" Nico moved closer to her but she stubbornly looked the opposite way, clutching the blanket around herself tighter. It was only when Nico pouted and sniffled that Maki turned her head over to peek. Nico inwardly smirked when she saw the regret in her eyes; she loved using puppy eyes on her.

"Maki, why are you being so mean?" Nico gave her a cute pout with puppy eyes and saw her resistance melt.

"M-Mou, Nico-chan, I'm not even being mean." Maki retorted before turning away, making Nico hold back another giggle. She crawled closer to her and put her head on her shoulder, making Maki turn her head slightly to look at her in surprise. "N-Nico-chan, you're too close!"

"Says the one who was snuggled up to me all night." Nico teased and laughed when Maki pushed her off, her face slowly becoming darker with each second. "Now get up, I'm gonna make some breakfast."

At the sound of getting out of bed, Maki groaned and laid down, burying her face into the pillows.

"Wake me up when it's ready." Maki's muffled voice came and Nico giggled.

"You're so spoiled. Now come on, you dolt. Before Eli freaks out that you're not in your room." Nico warned but Maki just let out another whine.

"That Russian dork is probably too busy getting racy texts from Nozo—"

"—Nico! Have you seen Maki?" Eli burst in promptly, the panic evident on her face as she looked on her phone, frantically texting what Nico presumed to be Maki's number, "She wasn't in her room and she didn't text me and she hasn't replied to my texts and she's not in the living room and—"

"Oh my god, you dumb oaf. She's right here." Nico groaned, disappointed that the serenity of the morning had been destroyed. She and Maki may have been teasing each other earlier, but it wasn't disruptive at all. Meanwhile, Eli sighed in relief.

"Oh okay. That's good." Eli spoke with a small smile before she connected the pieces together and looked at the two suspiciously. At seeing that they still had their clothes on, she let out an approved hum, making Maki look at her curiously. Eli waved her off before continuing, "I'll be in my room then. I've got a report due on Tuesday."

With that, Eli walked out, leaving Nico and Maki alone in Nico's room together. Nico was too shocked to remind Eli what was happening today because she didn't know that Eli thought they were sleeping together in _that_ sense but as she thought about it, it became less surprising. Eli was literally glued to Nozomi, who always had peculiar thoughts running around in that head of hers, and Nico doubted that she hadn't shared them with Eli. They were practically married already, even if Eli didn't realize it. What an oblivious idiot.

But then again, Maki was too.

Once Nico got over her initial shock, she sighed and got up from the bed. She gave Maki a pointed look, who groaned before complying.

"Now go back to your own room. I need to get ready before I make breakfast." Nico ordered as she opened a drawer and looked for an outfit, making Maki frown slightly.

"Get ready for what?" She asked and Nico froze in her movements, wondering if she really did ask that question or if she was just imagining things.

"Did you forget what today is?" Nico responded slowly but Maki just looked at her weirdly, making Nico groan before continuing, "We're celebrating Eli's birthday today."

Maki blinked before she blinked again, and Nico could literally see the gears in her head slowly moving. Nico forgot how slow Maki could be in the morning, especially without her coffee; she wasn't a morning person after all. After a moment, she finally connected the pieces.

"Oh." Maki responded lamely and Nico gave her a deadpan look.

"Oh." Nico sarcastically replied and Maki huffed.

"But I thought we celebrated it during her actual birthday?" Maki questioned and Nico went back to what she was doing.

"We did. But mostly everyone else was busy that day so I suggested that we should celebrate it today with everyone." Nico explained as she chose an outfit—jean shorts with a black sweater—and looked at Maki, who blushed and turned around, "Do you really not remember? We planned this like two weeks ago or something."

"U-Um, no." Maki stuttered and Nico snorted at how awkward she was as she changed, "You're not gonna shower?"

"Why are you asking? So you can peek at me?" Nico teased and Maki was about to turn around, her form evidently flustered and angry, but stopped when she realized that Nico was probably still changing, making her laugh loudly. "I was just kidding. And to answer your question: no. I showered last night."

"Really?" Maki responded with a perplexed tone and Nico looked at her weirdly.

"Yes, really. Are you okay? It's like you got rid of some of your memories and replaced them with all that medical crap." Nico joked before continuing, "I'm done changing now, you prude."

"Who are you calling a prude?" Maki asked, her feathers ruffled as she turned around and opened her mouth, "If anything, you're—" Maki choked, making Nico snort with amusement.

"Are you okay?" Nico asked, inwardly laughing her ass off at Maki's flustered expression.

"Yeah. It's just that I, well," Maki stammered before clearing her throat and speaking in a quieter voice, "I thought you would put up your usual hairstyle today."

Nico hummed thoughtfully, walking to her mirror and looking at her appearance. She knew that she looked more mature with her hair down and decided to style it that way because it was a special day.

"I'm not feeling it today. Plus, we're celebrating that Russian dork's birthday." Nico responded as she started to brush her hair, "The great Nico-Nii can't have the same hairstyle all the time otherwise things become redundant and boring."

"Oh please." Maki rolled her eyes when Nico did her signature pose. She was about to retort but Eli interrupted again.

"Nico, Nozomi is here." Eli said as she gave Nico a curious look, no doubt because of her appearance, before greeting them both a good morning and leaving.

"Tits just couldn't wait, huh." Nico mused as she slipped on her socks before ruffling Maki's hair, "C'mon. Go get ready. I'll have breakfast done by then."

"Fine." Maki sighed in defeat and Nico smiled before leaving the room.

She headed towards the kitchen and smelled the subtle aroma of tea. Knowing that Eli had made it for Nozomi, Nico braced herself before entering the living room, pausing to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"Nicocchi, whatcha doing?" Nozomi's voice rang out of nowhere, making Nico yelp and smack her.

"What the hell!" Nico exclaimed in anger and Nozomi laughed at her, making Nico frown and pinch her, "You scared me, you stupid tits monster."

"Nozomi, you shouldn't be pranking this early in the morning." Eli scolded from her position on the dining table and Nico snorted.

"Yeah, tits, listen to your _darling_." Nico responded sarcastically as she and Nozomi walked into the living room and Eli sputtered.

"W-What? Nico don't use that nickname for me, please." Eli spoke, or more like subtly pleaded, and Nico rolled her eyes. So she didn't mind her calling Nozomi "tits" but wasn't fine with the nickname "darling". That made so much sense.

"But it fits you wonderfully, _darling_." Nozomi teased, making Eli go slightly red.

"N-Nozomi!"

Nico looked at the two, made a disgusted face, and went into the kitchen. She started making coffee because she couldn't handle those two gays this early in the morning and also because Maki needed some to function. Eli, on the other hand, was naturally a morning person, although she usually drank coffee later at night when she needed the energy to finish her work. It was mixed for Nico though; some days she would wake up refreshed, other days she would feel like shit.

Nico ignored the two talking/flirting in the living room and started making a simple breakfast: omelettes with some rice. Of course, she added some secret ingredients to make it taste delicious so it didn't taste plain. Cooking the food was fairly quick and by the time she set the food down on the table, Maki was sitting at the dining table, sitting across from Nozomi and looking very uncomfortable. At least she knew now what Nico had to deal with almost every day.

"Made a special breakfast for you idiots," Nico stated blandly as she set the food and Maki's coffee down and continued, "so hopefully you two will stop forgetting things from now on. Oh, and there's some for you too, tits."

"How thoughtful of you Nicocchi." Nozomi thanked with an air kiss. Nico grabbed it with a smile, making it look like she was accepting it before using her free hand to crush it and throw it away. She ignored Nozomi's pout and stuck her tongue out at her.

"Thanks, but what are you talking about?" Eli asked, ignoring their antics and focusing more on the bigger matter at hand. Nico just gave Nozomi a deadpan look, who returned it with a mysterious smile. Eli glanced at the two before looking at Maki, who averted her eyes and kept eating. "Am I...missing something?"

"Yes. Your anniversary with Nozomi." Nico sarcastically replied and Eli choked on her spit, making Nozomi rub her back in comfort.

"Now, now, Nicocchi is just grumpy because we interrupted her cuddling time with Maki-chan." Nozomi spoke and everyone at the table choked: Maki on her food, Nico on her water, and Eli on her spit once again.

How the hell did she find out about that?

"W-We did not!" Nico protested and Maki nodded frantically in agreement but Eli looked at the two with suspicious eyes.

"Then how come Maki wasn't in her room this morning?"

It was dead quiet for a good 10 seconds before Nico coughed awkwardly.

"Uh, seriously speaking, you did miss something important." Nico hastily changed the topic and Eli was about to protest so she quickly continued, "Your birthday celebration. Did you seriously forget?"

Eli froze in her seat, making Nozomi smile in amusement. She poked her on the cheek and Eli finally started moving again.

"Wow, I'm sorry. I completely forgot. Midterms are next week and I was so focused on—" Eli rambled apologetically and Nico waved her off.

"It's fine, it's fine. We're holding it at tit's place anyways so don't worry about it." Nico said in between eating and Maki made a sound of recognition.

"Is that what you meant about hanging out with Nozomi?" Maki asked and Nico nodded.

"Sorta. But anyways, since everyone's gonna be busy as hell for next week, it's only going to be from late afternoon to dinner. That cool with you?" Nico asked Eli who nodded before smiling gratefully.

"Thanks you two." Eli said and Nico was unaffected by her charming smile. On the other hand, Nozomi wasn't, and she was entranced by her.

"It's no problem." Nozomi commented with a somewhat flustered expression before getting a hold of herself and teasing her, "After all, you're my one and only darling, Elichi~"

"N-Nozomi!"

Huh, so Nozomi did have a weak point. Awesome.

"You done with your food?" Nico asked and Nozomi broke off her flirting session, as Nico liked to call it, with Eli before giving her an appreciative smile.

"Yes I am." Nozomi answered with a sincere smile—the type that would make anyone feel like they were special. "Thanks for the great breakfast by the way."

Nico ignored how Eli dropped her fork like the lame lovestruck fool she was and huffed proudly, "Of course. After all, I'm the great Nico-Nii, the best cook and—"

"—designer in the universe. Right. I wonder what Kotori thinks about that." Maki blandly finished before continuing, "I'll wash the dishes; you two can go ahead."

"How sweet of you Maki-chan." Nozomi commented with a teasing grin and Nico pouted before thanking her.

"Thanks. Tits and I should be going anyways." Nico replied as she directed an appreciative smile towards Maki, who just waved her off with a light blush.

"It's just dishes." Maki mumbled as Nico and Nozomi got up, "Have fun I guess."

"Of course we will~" Nozomi replied deviously and Nico groaned.

"If you grab my chest again I'm going to punch you in the face." Nico threatened but Nozomi just gave her an amused smile in response.

"There's not much to grab anyways." Nozomi laughed when Nico punched her in the shoulder with a sour face.

"Shut up tits." Nico seethed before turning to her other two best friends, "See you two later; I'll text you the details about later. Just don't die on me while I'm gone."

Maki snorted and Eli hummed noncommittally.

"As if we're that dependent on you." Maki sarcastically replied.

"Just be safe." Eli responded, not really listening to Nico because she was looking at her phone for information for her report, making Nico chop her on the head. Eli yelped lightly and touched the offended spot, giving Nico a glare. "What was that for?"

Nico was glad she was resistant to staring at death in the eyes otherwise her legs would have started to shake. Eli may have calmed down because of Nozomi, but that didn't mean that she still had that ridiculously intimidating effect.

On a side note, Nico wondered if it was appropriate to ask if her family was related to the mafia but deemed it to be another question for another time.

"Ease up. Today's supposed to be a relaxation day for us since we've all been studying so much already. We need the break." Nico explained as she poked Eli on the face to emphasize her point and Maki waved her off.

"I'll make sure she doesn't die of overworking. Just leave already." Maki shooed and Nico raised her eyebrow. She was being unusually helpful today despite her usual sarcastic manner.

"Um, okay. Thanks I guess. See you two later!" Nico waved her goodbyes as she and Nozomi left the house.

"So..." Nico started off and was a bit uneasy as to how Nozomi was grinning widely at her, "How about we start off with how the _hell_ you found out what happened between me and Maki?"

"It's all in the cards, Nicocchi." Nozomi gave her a mysterious smile and Nico scoffed.

"Cards my ass. I'm sure those things can't predict specific situations." Nico said, disgruntled as she and Nozomi walked to Nozomi's house, "And why are we going here? I thought we were going out?"

"Wait until Maki-chan hears that~" Nozomi teased and Nico gave her a deadpan look, making Nozomi giggle, "I'm just joking Nicocchi."

"No shit."

"Well I did forget something so why don't you come in for a bit?" Nozomi answered and Nico shrugged.

"Sure. I don't mind."

Nozomi opened the door and called out that she was back, making Rin appear out of thin air.

"Nozomi-chan! Did you come back cause Nico-chan and Maki-chan are still snuggling, nya?" Rin asked as she bounded towards Nozomi and gave her a hug, not noticing Nico who was blushing lightly.

"What the hell! How do you two know about that?!" Nico exclaimed as she felt her cheeks become warmer due to embarrassment. Rin looked up from her embrace with Nozomi, making a surprised face.

"Oh, Nico-chan is here." Rin said before brightening up and leaving Nozomi, who was giggling at them, to give Nico a hug, "Nico-chan, nya!"

"How about you answer my question, Rin." Nico responded as she grudgingly returned Rin's embrace; Rin was way too adorable when she smiled sometimes, and Nico couldn't help but give in to her every now and then. Rin grinned widely in response before breaking away and scratching her cheek.

"Well, your room is sorta across from mine and I sorta saw you two through the window. Cause it was open a bit and all." Rin answered with a sheepish grin and Nico groaned before punching Nozomi.

"Stupid Nozomi. I don't even know why I slightly believed in her lame excuse." Nico grumbled and Nozomi faked a hurt look, "Oh don't give me that. I didn't even hit you that hard."

"Hehe, just playing with you Nicocchi." Nozomi as she stuck her tongue out and Nico scoffed.

"When do you not?" Nico asked blandly and Nozomi tried to pat her head but Nico just tried to bite her hand.

"Yes, yes, I know I play too much. But I'll be right back though; I really did leave something." Nozomi said and Nico waved her off. Right after, she turned to Rin and gave her a smirk.

"So how are you and Hanayo doing?" Nico asked and couldn't help but feel her heart warm at how Rin's mood exponentially brightened up. She was so adorable when it came to Hanayo.

"Great, nya! Kayo-chin and I went on a study date yesterday!" Rin answered with an affectionate smile and Nico laughed.

"I know. Maki told me about how she ran into you two in the cafeteria. I question your location of studying though." Nico commented and Rin smiled widely.

"Hehe, the cafeteria staff is super nice to us and gives us food for free sometimes. But I did notice that Maki-chan gets embarrassed easily." Rin responded as she thought about how red she got when she saw her and Hanayo cuddling. It wasn't like she and Hanayo were made out in public like the other half of the campus, as Umi stated sometime ago.

"I know. I thought she'd get used to it after all the confessions she and Eli received." Nico sighed, making Rin smirk.

"Oh? Is Nico-chan jealous, nya?" Rin teased and Nico scoffed, a light blush on her face.

"Shut it, wannabe felis catus." Nico countered and jumped when Nozomi poked her shoulder, "What the hell Nozomi?"

"I'm back!" Nozomi announced with a laugh as she looked at Rin's confused face, "What Nicocchi said was the Latin term for cat."

"Oh. Well have fun, nya! I'm gonna get back to studying." Rin said with a grin and commented, "And if you see Umi-chan, tell her that her paycheck from writing essays came, although I doubt you'd find her. She's probably forcing Honks to study."

"Well, at least Honks is going to get a good grade." Nozomi mused as she ruffled Rin's hair, "I'll be back early afternoon; don't get in trouble, Private Rin!"

"Yes, Captain Nozomi!" Rin saluted and they both laughed before Nozomi and Nico left.

"Umi writes essays?" Nico asked and Nozomi nodded her head.

"Yeah. She gets around $100 for each essay since they pay $25 per page, but Umi-chan's always been proficient in writing so it's more of a menial task for her." Nozomi answered as she opened the door of the car she shared with Rin and Umi.

"Writing essays is just a menial task, huh. Must be wonderful." Nico commented, her tone drenched with jealously because she _hated_ writing essays. "Did she do it for Eli's birthday gift?"

"Mhm. She didn't want to get a job because she's too busy watching for troublemakers." Nozomi replied with a mischievous smile and Nico snorted.

"As if she'll ever stop us from pranking. You, me, Rin, and Honks are unstoppable." Nico said and gave Nozomi a high five with a laugh, "But anyways, where are we going?"

"It's a secret~" Nozomi grinned with amusement when Nico sighed.

"Whatever. We better not be going into a sex shop again." Nico said with a sour look when she remembered the one time Nozomi was able to lead her into one because Nico was busy on her phone and was just mindlessly following her around.

"You'll see Nicocchi~"

Nico had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Okay, Nico had to admit that it wasn't that bad.

Nozomi had taken her to a jewelry shop and picked up a suspiciously small package before driving to the mall where the best chocolates were sold. She could already guess what her gifts were and to an extent, she found it cute. Ridiculously cheesy, but cute.

"So if all you're doing is getting Eli's gift—wait, _gifts_ —, then why am I getting dragged along?" Nico complained as she crossed her arms and Nozomi giggled.

"I don't know what Elichi's favorite chocolate is though." Nozomi confessed as they entered the shop, "And I did ask for your help yesterday."

"She didn't tell you?" Nico asked and Nozomi shook her head.

"Well, I texted her about it last week but she never gave a straight reply." Nozomi answered and Nico gave her a deadpan look.

"I don't believe you." Nico said because Eli would _never_ lie or beat around the bush with her and Nozomi giggled.

"Alright, here. Look at the messages." Nozomi replied as she took out her phone and searched through her messages for a specific phrase. She handed it to Nico, who immediately started to read it.

 _"do you like any chocolates in particular?"_

 _"I love chocolates in general lol"_

 _"eh, that's no fun elichi :/"_

 _"Idk i can't choose"_

 _"it's okay lol i just wanted to know tho cause you're my bestie :)"_

 _"You're my bestie too :) are you coming over tomorrow?"_

At this point, Nico had seen that Nozomi had lost interest in her and was looking at the choices of chocolate with a focused gaze so she kept on reading.

 _"yeah. you and i should have a sleepover sometime tho :)"_

 _"That'd be fun but us having roommates sort of defeats the prospect lol"_

 _"well tbh we wouldn't sleep much anyways ;)"_

Nico held in a snort when she realized it took Eli a bit longer to respond.

 _"Wow, that was actually pretty smooth"_

 _"that's not all that's smooth ;)"_

 _"Omg"_

 _"you'll be saying that a lot ;)"_

 _"Okay, you're on a roll rn lol"_

 _"you can be on my rolls ;)"_

 _"Holy shit"_

 _"and that's what you'll say when we're done ;)"_

 _"Omg stop it, we're supposed to be studying lmao! ."_

 _"hahaha I can just imagine your reaction rn lol but jokes aside—"_

Nico couldn't finish reading. She was too busy trying to keep her face from becoming overly disgusted because of how Nozomi could blatantly flirt with Eli and how Eli couldn't read Nozomi's motives despite how obvious they were. That, and she was shocked that Maki was right about Nozomi sending Eli racy texts.

Well, the more she thought about it, the less surprised she was. It was Nozomi she was thinking of after all. She would've sent texts like those sooner or later anyways.

"Hm, should I just get the variety one or the expensive one? But the expensive ones have only one kind." Nozomi's musings brought Nico back to reality and she remembered to give Nozomi back her phone.

"Honestly speaking, she'll like anything you'll get her." Nico advised and held back a smile at how unusually serious Nozomi was. It was nice to see someone who was usually fooling around become serious for once.

Nozomi may have teased or annoyed her too much, but she really was a great friend. She was there when Nico was at her highest and lowest peak, and she had never failed in comforting her. She was there to make Nico laugh uncontrollably, especially since she was a great prankster, and she was there to make her cry, whether it was out of happiness or sadness.

Nozomi wasn't fake, slutty, or annoyingly materialistic, and Nico knew that there was no one else who would be better suited for her best friend. Both Nozomi and Eli deserved the best, and the best options they had were each other.

"That doesn't really help Nicocchi." Nozomi giggled and Nico rolled her eyes.

"There, get that assorted one; she wouldn't lie to you about liking all kinds of chocolate so that one would be perfect." Nico suggested as she pointed to a certain type and Nozomi smiled widely, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"So she really doesn't have a favorite?" Nozomi asked and Nico shook her head, "That's childishly cute. Just like you Nicocchi."

"Well at least you know I'm cute." Nico exaggeratedly flipped her hair in mock arrogance, making Nozomi laugh.

"Yes, yes, the great Nico-Nii is the cutest. Thanks for helping me Nicocchi. I'm gonna pay but I'll be right back." Nozomi said with a laugh and Nico rolled her eyes playfully.

Nico watched Nozomi go to the counter to pay. She rolled her eyes again at the choice of packaging but couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face; Nozomi looked so ridiculously happy with that smile of hers that it wasn't hard to tell that she was in love. Like seriously in love. In fact, Nico was really surprised that Eli didn't notice at all.

Just like Maki.

Thinking of the redhead made her want to pull her hair out. Sure, they were getting closer, but did best friends blush whenever they were too close? Did they hold hands and flirt but become awkward about it after? Did they cuddle with each other on the same bed?

Was Maki even serious about her? Or was she only attracted to her because she was the only one who knew most of her secrets?

In fact, the one question Nico never wanted to think about was if she would leave her once she found another person to confide in. It might be highly unlikely given Maki's somewhat reclusive nature, but she was the type to get easily flustered, and Nico was afraid that someone who was better than her in all aspects would sweep her away.

But then there would be days when Nico would feel reassured that Maki still loved her. It happened when she would ask for her help with studies, when she would spontaneously treat her out to amazing five star restaurants, when she would try to help out with cooking only to fail miserably, resulting in Nico having to teach her with amusement. It happened last night, when Maki had broken down in front of her and blurted out the feelings she'd buried deep inside.

Her relationship with Maki was frustrating but at the same time, it was amazing. To feel and hear and see all of Maki with all of her walls down that night was phenomenal by itself.

But if Maki loved her too, then why was she taking her sweet time about it? It only made Nico doubt if she really loved her, and she would be stuck in an endless cycle of "she does because of this" and "she doesn't because of that".

Too immersed with her own thoughts, Nico didn't notice Nozomi glancing back at her every now and then, although Nico did snap back to reality when she heard the cashier thank Nozomi. So when Nozomi was done, Nico pushed all her thoughts about Maki away and focused on the present, laughing softly as she shook her head, and Nozomi looked at her questioningly.

"What's up?" Nozomi asked and Nico sighed in amusement.

"Nothing. It's just that," Nico paused as her grin grew wider, "I'm really going to be surprised if Eli doesn't see that you're in love with her."

Nozomi blushed at the statement and playfully smacked Nico, who gave her a smirk, "Shut it Nicocchi. They gave it to me for free."

"And I wonder why." Nico teased as they left the store, making Nozomi pout.

"I'm not that obvious." Nozomi protested but paused before adding, "Well, at least not as obvious as Umi-chan and Kotori-chan."

"You're right about that." Nico agreed before asking, "Got any plans for that tonight?"

"Maybe. Just follow my lead." Nozomi answered vaguely with a wink and Nico shook her head with amusement.

Good ol' Nozomi never answering the question properly.

"You hungry?" Nozomi asked as they got into her car, making Nico give her a deadpan look.

"We legit ate like an hour ago." Nico replied and Nozomi laughed.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you want to go to the cafe so we can talk?" Nozomi asked again with a knowing smile and Nico froze in her seat, "I know you think you're hiding it well, but I can tell you're uneasy about something."

Damn Nozomi and her intuition. Well, Nico guessed that she would have noticed sooner or later; her intuition really was "sometimes cool but scary as fuck", as Honoka wisely stated sometime ago. That, and she was majoring in Psychology, which is probably the most dangerous thing she could major in.

"Fine, fine. I'll end up spilling later anyways." Nico relented with a sigh and Nozomi smiled softly.

"Don't worry Nicocchi; I'm always here for you." Nozomi genuinely stated and Nico bit back a smile.

"I know." She replied softly before adding, "And I will be too."

The car ride was comfortably silent afterwards and eventually, they made it to the cafe. Nozomi parked the car and the two entered. An employee immediately recognized the two and gave them their usual seats, which was near the back and had more privacy than the other tables.

"What would you like to order?" Saki, the waitress, asked and Nico felt a bit uncomfortable as to how her eyes lingered on her.

"Just some tea for now." Nico replied a bit uncomfortably and Saki smiled.

"Sure thing. I'll be right back." Saki said with a wink, making Nozomi giggle once she left.

"I see you've got your fair share of admirers." Nozomi teased and Nico groaned.

"They weren't lying when they said that people either liked, hated, or were obsessed with me." Nico responded with a shudder, no doubt at reminiscing all the wonderful times she had almost filed multiple restraining orders, and Nozomi motioned her to be quiet for a second.

"Here you are~" Saki said as she placed the tea down. She gave Nico another wink before putting down a piece of paper and getting a bit too close to her, "If you're free, maybe we can hang out sometime?"

Nico coughed awkwardly and scooted away before saying, "I'm sorry, I'm not really interested in a relationship right now."

"Oh, okay." Saki replied as she took the paper back, trying to keep an amiable smile, "I'll see you sometime at work?"

"Yeah." Nico responded with a hesitant smile and Saki left with a wave. Once she was out of sight, Nico let out a deep sigh, "I wish Eli was here. Even Maki would do."

"Aw, Nicocchi, am I not good enough for you?" Nozomi teased and Nico scoffed.

"No, you just don't look intimidating. The last time someone tried to ask me out and Maki and Eli weren't present, I had to threaten her with a restraining order." Nico frowned at the memory. She usually had suitors with decent morals and standards, but that was only because Maki and Eli had scared off the crazy ones. Well, either that or Maki and Eli had scared them enough for them to act decently. "But whatever. I hope she's okay though. It must suck to be rejected."

"And how would you know that, Nicocchi?" Nozomi asked curiously and Nico gave her a deadpan look.

"Because I've had too many people come to me asking for advice on how to get with my best friends." Nico responded with an unknown emotion, and Nozomi hummed thoughtfully before wisely choosing not to press the matter.

That was good. Nico didn't want to have to explain the multiple times someone more beautiful or smarter than her had asked about Maki or Eli, or how she was scared that someone might finally take Maki away.

"But what were you frowning about earlier in the shop?" Nozomi brought up the main topic after she drank some tea and Nico sighed. Nevermind her earlier statement.

"You probably already know the gist of it." Nico mumbled but Nozomi shook her head.

"It's easier to let it all out Nicocchi. You know this better than anyone." Nozomi replied with a comforting smile, and her sincere expression made Nico want to just ramble and rant about everything that was troubling her.

"I just, I hate feeling so insecure sometimes. There are way more people who are smarter and prettier than me and what if Maki leaves me for them? I know what we have is special and I know that she's probably in love with me, but I can't help but doubt it. I doubt it when I see her _smiling_ with some other girl. I doubt it when I see her _laughing_ with some other guy. I doubt it when we argue and fight and she looks at me with those furious eyes and sometimes, I think that I lost her then and there." Nico rambled as she ran her hand through her hair before softly adding, "I think I love her too much, you know? Maybe I'm getting too clingy or dependent on her."

"Nicocchi." Nozomi said as she reached over and held her clenched fist with a gentle smile, "I think it's time I tell you something you should know very well by now."

Nico looked at her in anticipation, wondering if she would come up with something comforting like the great friend she was—

"You're an idiot."

—or something stupid like the vexatious person she was.

Nico glared at her, but before she could even retort, Nozomi continued.

"You're an idiot if you think you love her too much. You're an idiot if you think someone could possibly replace what you have with her. And you're an idiot if you think you're not good enough for Maki because I'm going to say this once and only once: the two of you are perfect together. Who cares if you fight so much? That just means that you're close enough to forgive each other. Who cares if someone is smarter or prettier than you? Maki isn't the type to fall so easily, and although she gets embarrassed easily, she definitely isn't the type to be manipulated easily unless it has to deal with you. The two of you might clash sometimes, but there is no doubt that you both are extremely compatible with each other." Nozomi spoke as if she was scolding her child and Nico felt her doubts slowly diminishing.

Nozomi then continued with a gentler voice, as if they were the only ones present in the world, "I understand why you feel insecure—I do too with Elichi because of all the attention she gets. But what I think you need is a reminder that because you are the great Nico-Nii, you can accomplish anything that comes to mind as long as you put your best effort into it."

Nico looked at her and couldn't help but sniffle. She opened her hand and held Nozomi's with a warm and grateful expression.

"I...Thanks, Nozomi." Nico responded appreciatively with a small smile, "I guess I was just overwhelmed with all my doubts there. Midterms are coming up and we all haven't been able to talk extensively so I guess it was just the stress talking."

"I admit I was a bit surprised for a second." Nozomi confessed with a smirk, "The great Nico-Nii isn't as invincible as she puts herself to be, hm?"

"Oh shut it tits. You aren't all that either." Nico stuck her tongue out as she let go of her hand, ready to pull out a 100 slide Power Point presentation on how weak Nozomi was to Eli despite how she acted all flirty towards her. Nozomi opened her mouth to challenge her but was interrupted by an unexpected voice.

"Nico-san? Nozomi-san?"

The two turned towards the voice and were shocked to see Tsubasa smiling amiably. Well, Nico was the one who was visibly surprised; Nozomi was better at hiding her expressions and reacting.

"Tsubasa-san, it's nice to see you here." Nozomi responded with a pleasant smile and Tsubasa laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I was a bit surprised to see you two here. but then again Nico-san works here so I guess I should've expected it." Tsubasa replied before continuing with a hesitant smile, "I saw you two earlier actually, but I didn't want to interrupt because the two of you looked very...immersed with your conversation."

Hey eyes glanced down to where their hands had touched earlier and Nozomi held back a laugh at her unasked question. Nico looked at her with confusion before looking back at Tsubasa, wondering what she was insinuating.

"Oh, no. Nicocchi and I aren't dating." Nozomi answered with an amused smile, making Nico choke on her spit, "I thought the entire school knew I had a thing for Elichi at this point."

"Ah, yes, I did know that. I didn't know that you and Nico-san were close though." Tsubasa replied with a sheepish laugh, making Nozomi giggle.

"I thought Honoka-chan would've told you about us by now." Nozomi said, her eyes gleaming as Tsubasa laughed at her statement.

"Well, yes, she did. I just thought the two of you just pranked together and that was all there was to it." Tsubasa explained and Nozomi hummed while Nico finally recovered.

"Speaking of Honoka, where is she? I thought she was studying with Umi?" Nico asked and Tsubasa chuckled.

"Honoka called me this morning actually. She wanted to try out a new bakery and get away from Umi-san, although I should've kept a better eye on her." Tsubasa admitted with a sheepish smile, "I couldn't stop staring at her when she ate an entire plate of pastries and cakes and she ended up getting a stomach ache. She's just too cute when she's in her own world, you know?"

Nico blinked at all the gay Tsubasa was radiating. It was like she was wearing a rainbow shirt that said "Honoka's #1 Fan" with rainbow glow sticks wrapped around her head.

In other words, Eli finally had some competition.

"The two of you are official now, right?" Nico mentioned because she wasn't sure and raised an eyebrow when Tsubasa blushed lightly.

"Y-Yes we are. Although Honoka told me she refrained from mentioning it to Umi-san because of how protective she could get." Tsubasa confessed a bit shyly, which was unusual considering how she was usually calm and composed.

"Don't worry about her. She won't actually do something unless you hurt Honoka-chan." Nozomi advised and Tsubasa hummed in acknowledgement.

"Well then I guess I have nothing to worry about." She replied smoothly and Nico squinted at her, thinking that she was acting a bit too pompous. That is, until she continued what she was saying.

"Honoka is way too adorable and I would never hurt her. It's like she brings color into my world whenever she's near and there's never a moment that's not exciting whenever she's around." Tsubasa continued, an unmistakable expression of love plastered on her face.

' _Without a doubt, that color is the rainbow.'_ Nico thought as she slowly shrunk back into her seat. Tsubasa was probably gayer than Eli and that was a feat in itself. While Nico looked somewhat shocked, Nozomi laughed loudly.

"I think you're perfect for our Honoka-chan. Oh, and please feel free to call me Nozomi." Nozomi commented with an amused smile before continuing, "How about you come with us later to celebrate Elichi's birthday? I hear you and Umi-chan haven't been formally introduced yet."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude, especially since Eli-san and I started off on the wrong foot." Tsubasa replied a bit nervously and Nozomi waved her off.

"I'm sure everyone won't mind. Plus, that happened years ago; I know Elichi wouldn't hold a grudge over something as trivial as test answers." Nozomi giggled at Tsubasa's red face and Nico held back a laugh. She remembered thinking that it was such a stupid thing to fight over, but she guessed that she didn't care much since tests were usually the last thing on her mind.

"But if Umi isn't with Honoka, then where is she?" Nico brought up and Tsubasa hummed thoughtfully.

"Honoka mentioned that Kotori-san somehow dragged her to the mall, most likely to dress Umi-san up." Tsubasa mused with an amused smile, and Nico laughed.

It seemed at this point everyone knew Kotori and Umi had a thing.

"Tsubasa-chan! I'm back!" Honoka exclaimed with a wide grin as she hugged Tsubasa from behind, giggling all the while. "Thanks for taking me out today, I really missed you."

Tsubasa laughed as she turned around and kissed Honoka on the nose, "I missed you too. We've all been too busy as of late."

"Gross. I didn't come here to see you two hang off of each other." Nico blandly commented and she saw Honoka peek out from Tsubasa's shoulder.

"Eh, Nico-chan and Nozomi-chan are here?" Honoka asked before grinning widely, "What's up?"

"The sky." Nico sarcastically replied, making Honoka roll her eyes.

"Nicocchi is just grumpy because she wants to be all kissy with Maki-chan too." Nozomi teased and Nico threw her napkin at her, "I'm joking, I'm joking. We were going to get some stuff ready for the party later."

"Oh, oh! Can Tsubasa-chan come?" Honoka asked excitedly and Tsubasa blushed lightly, "Hopefully we can break the ice between her and Umi-chan or something."

"Good idea." Nozomi replied with a spark in her eyes, and Nico immediately knew what she was thinking of. She made eye contact with her and then with Honoka, and Honoka understood. The three grinned evilly, making Tsubasa wonder if she should still go or not.

It's safe to say Umi was going to have the night of her life.

* * *

Eli didn't expect her day to go this way. Her morning may have started off in a state of temporary panic, but this exceeded that level 10 times over. It had the same amount of disastrous opportunities as allowing Honoka to roam college without any supervision whatsoever, which was essentially equivalent to a _shit ton_ of disastrous opportunities.

Right. It's probably best to rewind to the beginning.

The start of the party was great. The food Honoka and Nico had cooked was delicious and the chocolate cake they baked was, for a lack of a better word, amazing. Everyone was lively and in good spirits, as if they didn't have midterms in the next couple of days. Eli even got to make peace with Tsubasa, whom she suspected was dating Honoka but didn't want to voice her suspicions because of Umi, who probably would've gone into overprotective dad mode. Well, Eli didn't blame her—she would've done the same if Nico or Maki brought home some random girl, but that would never happen considering their affections for each other.

They then presented their gifts to her. Hanayo and Rin somehow got her a 50% discount from the best chocolatier in the city, and Eli knew they were the best because she's literally tried _every_ single chocolatier shop within a 30-mile radius. Maki had gotten her expensive but extremely comfortable athletic wear and shoes. Honoka gave her a permanent discount to her parent's restaurant, whose food was ridiculously good as expected of a 5-star rating, while Tsubasa got her a gift card containing $100 for general use. Umi bought her textbooks for the next semester (bless her soul because that shit is expensive) and Kotori got her some expensive materials for quilting. Nico made her a cheesy scrapbook filled with memories, including the many idiotic faces Eli had made all the way back from when they were on high school. Eli was about to rip them off but Nico just laughed at her, saying that she already had multiple copies. On the other hand, Nozomi claimed that she would give her gift later, making Eli wonder exactly what she had gotten for her.

The night came soon enough after the gift-giving ordeal and the Idiot Trio, as Eli liked to call Nico, Rin, and Honoka, decided that it was time for Eli to drink her 21 shots. Eli protested, claiming that she didn't want to wake up with a devastating hangover or get alcohol poisoning. Never one to back away from fun, Honoka came up with the ingenious plan that each of them take two of her shots while Eli took three since she was the birthday girl. Everyone was fine with it—even Umi.

It seemed okay, right? It _was_ okay.

Until the three stooges brought up the game of "Never Have I Ever" after everyone downed their shots.

It was fairly simple; one person said something they never did and those who have done it had to drink a shot. They made up a rule where there had to be a five minute interval in between since drinking one shot after the other was never a good idea, especially in huge amounts. Chasers were allowed as well. Eli, being more resistant to the influence of alcohol for some unknown reason that _wasn't_ her Russian genes, and Maki, who knew that they were up to no good, tried to protest. However, the others were not as fortunate to have the amount of tolerance Eli had or the same mindset as Maki considering how they were a bit more...daring when under the influence.

Which brought her to her current situation now.

They were all sitting at a large table with shot glasses in front of each person. There were three bottles of peach vodka instead of regular vodka (which Eli preferred for some reason and no, it wasn't because she was Russian) since some people weren't used to the sensation yet. It was also because Nozomi liked fruity drinks and Eli couldn't say no to her, but that wasn't the point.

"Only one round." Eli ordered warily, already feeling the anxiousness sink in as she looked around the table. Honoka and Rin were grinning devilishly and kept looking at Nozomi, who just smiled in return. Eli sighed, knowing that they were planning something stupid.

"Why not three?" Nico asked cheekily, her face slightly flushed with excitement, and Eli raised her eyebrow.

"There's 10 of us here. That means there's a chance someone here has to drink 9 shots." Eli stated in a matter-of-fact tone and Nico stuck her tongue out at her.

"We can handle more than that though." Nico replied proudly, a mischievous grin forming on her face as Eli shrugged.

"Some of the others here don't have the same type of tolerance." Eli pointed out, mainly glancing at Honoka, Kotori, and Hanayo. Their faces were flushed despite only taking two shots.

"Alright, I'll start off first!" Honoka exclaimed boisterously with a dopey grin, making some of the girls laugh. However, in a split second, her grin turned into a smirk and Eli immediately felt chills run down her spine.

This was such a _horrible_ idea, Eli thought as she braced herself for what was coming.

"Never have I ever kissed my best friend." Honoka said evilly, looking around the table eagerly.

Sometimes she hated being right, Eli mused as she, Nico, and Tsubasa groaned collectively. On the other hand, Hanayo and Rin just blushed cutely. They all took a shot, making Honoka guffaw loudly once she saw Maki's disgruntled face.

"I think you three have some explaining to do." Honoka teased and Eli sighed, ignoring the expectant looks from everyone as well as the glare from Maki. She thought she was over it by now but then again, jealousy did bring out the worst in people.

Well, it wasn't like Eli had intended to kiss Nico in the first place. It was only because the school play they had both participated in included a kiss in the script and for some reason, Eli was chosen to be one of the leads. Nico became the other lead because, well, it was Nico; it was her nature to be in the center of things.

"It was for a school play and _somehow_ Nico and I were the leads." Eli grumbled as if it was the worst thing she had to do, making Nico frown.

"It's not like I wanted to kiss her anyways." Nico commented blandly, making Eli glare at her.

"I had to make out with Erena once as a dare." Tsubasa piped in, knowing that those under the influence were more prone to outbursts and that Eli wasn't excluded from this effect despite her tolerance. She felt Honoka's hand squeeze hers under the table and looked at her curiously. Tsubasa was relieved to note that Honoka wasn't taking it negatively, especially since she had dated others who became extremely jealous over little things.

"Okay, okay, I'm next, nya!" Rin exclaimed from her seat next to Honoka as she sent Nozomi a subtle wink. Nozomi gave her an expectant grin in turn, making Rin smirk.

"Never have I ever written an essay for money." Rin spoke as she avoided looking Umi in the eye.

"Really?" Umi grumbled as she downed a shot, already used to the burning sensation. She was the only one who had taken a drink, which made sense since she was the only one who didn't mind writing; even Eli was annoyed with writing and proofreading multi-page reports all the time. "I have a feeling that was directed towards me."

Rin just grinned widely, making Eli shake her head. She knew what they were trying to do. It was hard not to when they would look in Kotori's direction every now and then. Kotori, as oblivious as ever, was busy staring at something blankly, only focusing whenever she heard the phrase of the game. The alcohol seemed to have made her more spaced out than usual.

"Okay, Kayo-chin goes next, nya!" Rin continued brightly, making Hanayo blush. She fiddled with her hands, making Rin smile reassuringly as she took one of them into her own. Hanayo gave her a grateful smile in turn before speaking up.

"Um, never have I ever cheated on a test." Hanayo hastily spoke and immediately after, the Idiot Trio groaned.

"Kayo-chin, you know I suck at writing and all that literature crap." Rin whined after she took a shot while Eli and Umi shook their heads, looking pointedly at Nico and Honoka.

"Hey, there were some days where I was too busy to study." Nico protested with her hands up, blushing with embarrassment at the sight of Eli and Maki giving her a deadpan look while Honoka nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! The shop gets pretty busy too." Honoka defended vigourously, making Umi sigh.

"Just don't do that here please. You can get expelled for that." Umi replied sternly before looking at Nico expectantly because she was next person to continue the game. She smiled as she sneakily gave Rin a secret high five from behind Hanayo before going.

Eli gave her a deadpan stare. She totally saw that. Nico just stuck her tongue out at her and continued the game.

"Nico-Nico here I go!" Nico exclaimed with her signature pose, making the group roll their eyes. Instead of frowning and complaining about their reactions, she just smirked evilly.

"Never have I ever read an entire novel in one day." Nico declared, looking pointedly at Maki, Umi and Eli. In turn, they all shot her a glare, grumbling as they refilled their shot cups. They drank it while the Idiot Trio burst into laughter.

"You're all such nerds." Nico teased, making Maki glare at her again.

"Says the one who watched the entire Harry Potter series in one sitting. Who the hell even does that?" Maki countered hotly, making Nico glare at her. It didn't help that they were sitting next to each other. At sensing the impending argument, older sister Eli came out.

"Maki. Nico." Eli warned ominously and the two grumbled, making the group laugh once again. There was never a time when the three were together that Eli had to warn them like this.

"Whatever. Never have I ever spied on my neighbor." Maki responded gruffly, continuing the game as she gave a glared at Rin and Nozomi. However, she didn't expect Eli and Umi to take a drink.

"Really?" Maki asked with a judgmental look, making Eli cough nervously. "Are you serious?"

"S-Shut up!" Eli bit back lamely, a blush on her cheeks that was definitely not because of the alcohol.

But honestly, she really couldn't help herself from looking sometimes, especially because Nozomi liked to water her plants while wearing oversized shirts even if the weather was too cold. There were even some days where she would wear a white shirt and she would accidentally get wet. Of course, Eli wasn't peeking on purpose; she was raised to be honorable and respectful. She really just _happened_ to look that way.

On the other hand, Umi had a more dignified composure. She was giving Eli and Nozomi a hard look, making Eli feel uncomfortable.

"I was just making sure Nozomi and Eli weren't doing anything shameless." Umi elaborated, making Eli laugh nervously as she crossed her legs.

"O-Of course not." Eli stuttered as she avoided her icy gaze and Nozomi giggled.

"I wonder why you would think that, Umi-chan. After all, we're not even dating." Nozomi replied with a grin, although her tone made Eli even more nervous. She could tell she was planning something.

Umi just hummed in reply, taking out a water bottle. She was about to drink it but Honoka slammed her fists on the table, surprising everyone.

"Nu uh! That's cheating, Umi-chan!" Honoka exclaimed as she pointed at her and Umi shot her a glare.

"If you break my table, you're paying for it." Umi responded darkly, making Honoka laugh sheepishly.

"Sorry, hehe."

"Anyways, it's my turn next right?" Kotori started, wanting to prevent Umi from becoming angrier. She paused to think before smiling.

"Never have I ever fainted."

With a sigh, Umi took a drink. Hanayo did as well, although that wasn't surprising.

"Really?" Honoka asked curiously and Umi flushed a bit, averting her eyes to avoid looking at anyone.

"One of Nozomi's pranks." was her only reply and everyone threw their attention on Nozomi.

"Ah, yes. Sorry about that, Umi-chan." She apologized, although the devious smile on her face showed otherwise.

"It's, uh, fine." Umi lagged, her face becoming more red because of all the alcohol she'd drank; by now she had six shots and seemed to be reaching her limit soon.

"Hm, I wonder if I should tell everyone?" Nozomi teased with a smirk, making Umi blush even more and stutter.

"N-No! Definitely not!" Umi responded nervously, making Kotori pout.

"Eh? That's no fun Umi-chan." Kotori commented as she leaned in closer to her. She continued with a whisper, "I want to know. For future reference of course. I wouldn't want to have you fainting on me when we're doing... _something_ after all."

"K-Kotori!" Umi breathed lamely, her eyes as wide as saucers. Kotori just giggled, sending her a wink before moving back to her seat.

Eli shook her head when she saw Honoka snap a picture. As amusing as it was to see someone who was usually composed be reduced to a blubbering mess, she did feel some sympathy for her. After all, she was a victim of such situations as well.

Ah, such was the life of liking someone like Nozomi.

"I, I think we should move on." Umi cleared her throat nervously, ignoring how the three idiots were laughing their asses off. Umi stalled for a bit, either because the alcohol was affecting her thinking or because she actually didn't know what to say. When she was ready, she called everyone's attention.

"Never have I ever gone skinny dipping."

Eli would have verbally questioned her choice of question if Kotori, Nico, Nozomi, and Tsubasa didn't take a shot. But they did, and their respective partners couldn't help but look at them with surprise and blush heavily.

"What? I've always wanted to try it out." Nico defended as she crossed her arms and Maki definitely did not look down at her chest. Kotori giggled at the two before a mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes.

"It was fun, although I wish Umi-chan was with me." She said innocently as she placed her elbows on the table and looked beside her, making sure to make eye contact with Umi, who blushed even more. Well, even more than she already was.

"K-Kotori! That's, that's very scandalous." Umi responded with embarrassment, averting her eyes in fear of getting lost in hers. Nozomi laughed loudly at them before deciding to tease Eli as well.

"Maybe I should've brought Elichi as well." Nozomi brought up, laughing even more when Eli flushed red. She cuddled up next to her and whispered in her ear, "I know a place where it'll only be you and me."

"N-Nozomi!" Eli exclaimed, becoming ridiculously red as she tried to ignore how Nozomi's breasts were pressing up against her arm. _Damn_ , they were big and so _damn_ soft. She briefly wondered how they would feel without any clothes before groaning and inwardly banging her head on a wall; she couldn't think of her best friend like that.

Well, not until she properly asked her out, which would probably happen after midterms when she could focus on something other than studies. In the meantime, she should calm her hormones down. If Nozomi kept teasing her like this, she might jump her soon. She hated how the "horny teenager" phase decided to come out during college, a time and place where even more disastrous mistakes could be made.

"Yes, yes. You can come next time." Tsubasa told Honoka, who was pouting the entire time. Eli's attention then diverted towards them and she didn't know whether to be shocked, supportive, or indifferent. Eli decided to do the latter, especially when Honoka started to kiss on Tsubasa's neck out of jealousy.

"It was only me anyways. My clothes got wet and it was the only way to pass time at the cabin my family owns." Tsubasa continued as she chuckled and gently pushed Honoka away before kissing her nose, "Not right now, love. The others might be watching."

"But babe~" Honoka whined with a cute pout, making Tsubasa smile at how adorable she was. She leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, which immediately brightened Honoka up.

"If you get too impatient, you won't get a reward." Tsubasa whispered, making Honoka flush. It worked, seeing as how Honoka shut up faster than Eli could get a chocolate in her mouth.

Fortunately for Tsubasa, Umi was too focused on Kotori's devious smile to hear what she said. Hanayo made it a point to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room while Maki looked disinterestedly at Nico and Rin, who were busy laughing their asses off as they took pictures of their usually stern roommates without a care. Eli and Umi didn't seem to notice anyways because of the amount of distractions in the room.

"Okay, we're almost done." Eli spoke up as she clapped, getting everyone's attention once again. A couple more people then the party would soon be over, meaning that Eli could have more time to recuperate and be in top shape for her midterms. Also it was because she wanted to see what Nozomi had gotten for her, but that wasn't the point.

Once she had everyone's attention, she hummed thoughtfully, hesitating for a bit. However, she shook her head and decided to say the question anyways.

If Umi could ask a scandalous question and get away with it, then she could too.

"Never have I ever gone commando." Eli stated indifferently. On the inside, she was screaming her head off.

With a grin, Kotori, Nico, Honoka, Tsubasa, Nozomi, and Rin took a drink. Honoka promptly laughed at how red their love interests got and quickly snapped a picture.

"Yeah! Overflowing freedom!" Rin exclaimed with an excited grin as she stood up, making Hanayo blush and try to calm her down.

"R-Rin-chan! Calm down!" Hanayo tried but to no avail. Rin was successful in taking off her shirt and swirling it around.

"Nya! Let's dance!" Rin laughed as she waived her shirt around, completely fine with showing off the top half of her body. Well, she did have a nice six pack so Eli guessed she was comfortable with her body.

"Yeah! Overflowing freedom!" Honoka yelled as she started playing some raunchy music and tried to take off her shirt but was stopped by Maki, who threw something at—wait was that a pencil?

Eli's eyes widened before they relaxed; thankfully the eraser end was the part that hit Honoka in the head and not the tip. Even then, Eli made a mental note to scold Maki later.

"Don't. Encourage. Her." Maki growled and Honoka laughed sheepishly.

"O-Okay." Honoka replied somewhat nervously before turning towards Tsubasa and grinning widely. "So, commando, huh?"

"Sometimes it gets too hot, you know?" Tsubasa responded, somewhat embarrassed that Honoka was looking at her as if she were undressing her.

"Maybe you should invite me sometime." Honoka suggested as she leaned in, going to kiss her but was interrupted by another person.

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo exclaimed as she finally pulled her down. She assisted in putting her shirt back on and gave her a frown. "Rin-chan, you shouldn't be taking off your shirt randomly and public."

"Then what if I did it privately and only with you?" Rin asked mischievously albeit smoothly as she leaned in, making Hanayo blush heavily.

"R-Rin-chan, not here!" Hanayo whispered, afraid of using her normal voice because it might've cracked. Rin laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Sorry, nya. I was just kidding." Rin responded as she scratched her cheek sheepishly, "But I really will stop taking my shirt off in public."

"I-I mean, you can take it off in public if you want to. I just don't want others staring at you for too long..." Hanayo trailed off as she averted her eyes, making Rin squeal and cuddle her.

"Kayo-chin's too cute, nya!"

Meanwhile, there was a whole other conversation going on—the type of conversation that immediately caught Eli's attention and got her gears going.

"Oh my~ How bold of you Kotori-chan." Nozomi teased with a wink and Kotori giggled, putting her arms on the table as she leaned forward.

"It's not like you haven't done it either Nozomi-chan." Kotori playfully shot back as she returned the wink.

Eli would have found it a bit unnerving how the two were the type of drunk that was flirtatious, but she was too frozen to move. The only thing on her mind was her thoughts on which days Nozomi didn't wear underwear, and her face became increasingly red as she remembered a moment when Nozomi was watering her plants and she bent over to pick up something. She remembered how her shirt rode up slowly, revealing the milky flesh she had been wanting to touch for a while. It rose up inch by inch and seemed to show an endless amount of skin until Eli caught herself and turned around, extremely embarrassed for watching her in the first place.

On the other hand, Umi was not as fortunate with hiding her expressions. The alcohol seemed to have gotten to her otherwise her mouth would be shut instead of hanging wide open.

As expected of Honoka, she took a picture of their reactions, giving Nico a high five from across the table.

"Hey, babe, look at them." Honoka gasped in laughter as she held onto Tsubasa, "They're like statues."

"Honoka..." Tsubasa shook her head at her girlfriend's antics before smiling. Honoka's group of friends provided wonderful entertainment and she surely wouldn't hesitate to hang out with them if they asked, even though Umi was a bit scary. Only a bit, because seeing her like this—disoriented, embarrassed, and hopelessly gay—made her feel less scared.

"Jeez, this is a mess." Maki mumbled as she looked at Rin, who was happily chatting with Honoka about all the (stupid) things they could do the next time they hung out, and her seniors, who were still staring at their love interests in some weird mix of shock and desire.

All the respect she had for them was gone. She really looked up to Umi and Eli but those sentiments flew straight out of the window. They may be amazing academically, but they were ridiculously gay. Well, Maki shouldn't judge; she was the same, although she would never admit that.

At least Maki knew better than to get caught up with the Idiot Trio and Captain Nozomi's traps. She was used to their antics by now, especially since she was close with Nico, Rin, and (unfortunately) Nozomi. She silently thanked her parents for being the stereotypical rich family who drank wine every dinner because her tolerance was pretty damn good. Not as good as Eli's, but it was still better than others.

"Now, now, Elichi." Nozomi cooed as she snapped her fingers, effectively breaking Eli out of her trance. She leaned forward with a devious smile, knowing exactly what effect she had on her. "Let's continue, hm? So I can give you my gift after."

Eli's breath hitched when she tantalizingly whispered the last part and she silently nodded her head. She ignored Nico's shit-eating grin and whipping motions.

"You're whipped as fuck." Nico mouthed and Eli glared at her. She was about to say something but Maki got to her first, lightly chopping Nico on the head.

"Don't agitate her even more." Maki warned, making Nico pout playfully, "You'll make our morning hell if you do. You know she remembers mostly everything that happens even though she's inebriated."

"Mou, you're no fun Maki~" Nico whined and she was about to retort when Nozomi spoke up, bringing everyone's attention back to the game.

"Never have I ever gotten over 100% as a final grade." Nozomi said with a devilish grin, making Rin groan.

"Aw, does 100.4% count? Can I just round it?" Rin whined and Hanayo giggled.

"Technically, it's over 100." Hanayo responded before petting Rin's head in comfort. She was going to have her seventh shot if she drank this so she was slightly worried—having 6 already did so much to her behavior. "I'll get you some water after."

"Thanks Kayo-chin. I love you, nya!" Rin said sweetly before giving her a peck on the lips, making Kotori squeal lightly.

"Aw, how cute!"

"Shameless!" Umi countered and Nozomi shook her head at her.

"Now, now. All of you drink your shots." Nozomi giggled as she looked at Rin, Umi, Maki, and Eli. Tsubasa went first, although that didn't surprise anyone; she was on the same level as Eli when it came to academics.

"Nozomi ish devil." Umi mumbled indistinguishably, making Nozomi laugh. It seemed like seven was her limit.

"I believe I'm the last one." Tsubasa brought up as everyone's attention diverted to her. With an apologetic smile and a red face, she continued, "Never have I ever thought of my best friends in a sexual manner."

Honoka cheered as everyone groaned and drank their shots.

"Thanks Tuba-chan!" Honoka replied as she kissed her cheek, making Tsubasa blush and kiss her back.

"For you, of course."

Umi, too drunk to notice, slurred, "Youz ahl shame...lesh."

"Well, you drank a shot too so that means you're shameless as well." Honoka retorted with a smirk, making Umi blush harder and groan.

"Kotooks, where ish youh?" Umi asked as she got up and drunkenly walked towards a lamp, "Kotooks, Honks are shame me."

"Kotooks?" Kotori asked, laughing as Umi tried to hug the lamp. It wasn't like anyone else was fairing as bad.

Honoka seemed to dodge drinking for the most part but was stupidly hyper, which was essentially the same thing, while Tsubasa seemed relatively okay for having six shots, which wasn't surprising considering how she was friends with Anju. Hanayo was fine and was trying to give Rin water but couldn't because Rin was kissing her. Nico was a bit bolder than usual and was openly flirting with Maki, whose face was red from the alcohol but mostly Nico. Eli was fairly buzzed even though she drank eight shots and Nozomi was drinking water with a smirk.

"Look at Umi-chan!" Honoka laughed loudly as she recorded a video on her phone, "Hey! Umi-chan, come here!"

At the sound of her name, Umi turned around and walked towards whoever said it. Honoka got up to steady her before continuing, still recording with her phone for evidence.

"Say, what do you think about Tsubasa-chan?" Honoka questioned, more amused than worried about how she would feel about their relationship, and Umi hummed in thought.

"Smart. Polite. Okay." Umi muttered after a considerable amount of time and Honoka brightened up considerably.

"Okay for me to date?" Honoka asked and Umi was still able to give her a hard look despite how drunk she was.

"Yah, but if she, if she," Umi mumbled but stopped for a minute to think. She then continued with a hard yet unfocused gaze, "if she treat youh bad, she gone. From dis whorl."

"Awesome! Time to celebrate!" Honoka cheered as she turned the phone around and slung an arm around Umi, "See this, future Umi-chan? You said it was okay so don't get mad at me!"

Eli sighed as she looked at what had happened. Tsubasa, being the responsible one, was drinking water in order to clear her head while Honoka, being the idiotic one, was finishing the bottle of vodka in order to celebrate Umi's approval. At some point, Rin had stopped making out with Hanayo to drink with Honoka. Since the kiss was too intense for Hanayo, she passed out on the table. Nico was still flirting with Maki, whose violet eyes screamed for help because she had never been in such a position.

Eventually, Rin and Honoka were as drunk as Umi and they were as obnoxiously loud as Eli predicted them to be.

"H-Hey, Rin-chan, w-whas tha difference between hungry and, and horny?" Honoka slurred to Rin, who shook her head and giggled.

"Wha, whas it Honks?" Rin asked with a sloppy grin and Honoka grinned widely.

"Wh, where you put tha cucumber!" Honoka replied rambunctiously and the two promptly burst out in laughter.

"W-Wait. L-Listen to this." Honoka breathed as she tried to control her laughter. When it died down, she asked, "W-whas 6.9?"

"I, I dunno. Whas 6.9?" Rin asked and Honoka grinned widely.

"A really great thang ruined by a, by a period." Honoka answered and the two started laughing even harder.

"You're dating her?" Eli asked Tsubasa seriously, who just shrugged and smiled.

"I think she's cute and funny." Tsubasa replied honestly before nodding her head towards Umi, who was drunkenly flirting with Kotori, "On the other hand, that looks messy. She didn't seem like the type, but then again you never know."

"H-Hey, Kotooks, you is so pretty." Umi smiled as she looked at a lamp, making Kotori laugh.

"Thanks Umi-chan, but I'm right here." Kotori responded with amusement and Umi turned around, shame written all over her face.

"I'm, I'm so sorryyy Kotookss." Umi said with a frown as she tried to hug Kotori, who laughed and held her.

"It's okay Umi-chan." Kotori whispered before sitting her down. She leaned in to hand some water, making sure to give Umi a seductive smile and move closer than usual. "Here, drink some water. I'm sure you're thirsty."

"Thanks Kotooks." Umi smiled gratefully and Kotori giggled. However, it was cut short when Umi leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I guess you can say I'm thirsty for you."

Kotori blushed heavily as Umi leaned back into her seat before laughing loudly at her terrible pickup line; it was something Honoka would say.

"H-Hows about U and Mi ghet together?" Umi asked with what she thought was a charming grin but came off as a dopey smile, making Kotori laugh even harder; she couldn't even flirt back because that pickup line was so _bad_.

Honoka was definitely a terrible influence.

"Here, Umi-chan, drink some more water. I'm sure you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself more." Kotori responded with a giggle and Umi groaned.

"But I is tellin tha truth. You is sooo cute Kotooks." Umi slurred as she slung her arms around her and Kotori just smiled in return.

"You're cute as well, Umi-chan." Kotori mumbled as she turned her head to give Umi a kiss on the cheek. She then pulled away and shot her a flirtatious smile. "Now, if you drink your water, I may give you a reward."

Umi finished the water bottle within seconds.

Eli couldn't help but let a laugh out at what was going on with Umi and Kotori. However, a flash of red caught her eye and she saw Maki looking at her desperately.

"Hey, Maki, if I was an enzyme I'd be DNA helicase so I could unzip those genes." Nico flirted before she drank more alcohol, making Maki blush and groan. At some point, she had gotten onto Maki's lap with one of the bottles and was drinking it while flirting with her. On a side note, Eli was surprised that she was still able to balance well because Maki's hands had a death grip on her chair.

 _'Looks like Umi's going to need a new chair.'_ Eli mused as she looked at the two interact.

"Shut up Nico-chan! How do you even know what a DNA helicase does!" Maki exclaimed with embarrassment and Eli sighed, walking towards the two. She guessed she should help Maki out not only because she was sympathetic towards her but also because Nico would regret confessing when she's drunk. Eli had unfortunately found out the hard way that she was a hardcore romantic. If she closed her eyes and tried hard enough, she would be able to feel the harsh sting of Nico's slap on her face after she found her mega stash of romance novels.

"Oi, Nico. Calm down, will you?" Eli said as she tried to pry Nico off, who seemed to stick to Maki like glue.

"Naahh, I'm comfy here." Nico stuck her tongue out before snuggling even more onto Maki, who looked like she would explode from how embarrassed she was. Luckily for her, Nico fell asleep because of how comfortable the position was and because she had drank too much, allowing Maki to breathe freely.

"I take it you can take her home?" Eli asked and Maki nodded. Maki bit her lip before smoothing out Nico's hair, her face obviously showing her concern.

"Does she...get this flirty when she's drunk?" Maki questioned as she directed her eyes towards Eli, who flinched at how insecure she looked. It was weird—usually Maki was full of confidence.

"No. She usually gets really excited," Eli started off slowly before making up her mind and continuing, "but sometimes she gets really sad."

"Sad?" Maki asked confusedly as she continued to gently fix Nico's hair. As a result, Nico smiled and leaned into her touch, making Maki blush even more. She retracted her hand and left it on Nico's waist.

"You should...talk with her in the morning." Eli vaguely advised before playfully ruffling Maki's hair, "I'll see you later; I need to take care of these idiots."

Maki looked at Honoka and Rin, who somehow managed to turn on the karaoke in the living room, and completely understood. She picked Nico up but set her down on the chair next to her, making Eli look at her questioningly.

"Um, here." Maki said as she took something out of her pocket and gave it to Eli.

It was a Snickers bar.

What the hell.

This was probably the weirdest thing Maki had ever done, aside from that one time she called her "Eli my Bestie from the Westie". But then again, that was because she lost a dare to Nico so Eli guessed it didn't really count.

"Uh, thanks I guess?" Eli blinked rapidly with confusion as she thanked Maki but Maki hadn't moved an inch and was staring at her expectantly. Eli shifted between her feet, feeling even more uncomfortable. "Do you...want me to eat it right now or something?"

Maki blinked and realized how weird she was acting so she coughed nervously and averted her eyes. She turned around and fixed Nico's clothes before replying, "Uh, no. I'll be taking Nico-chan now."

She picked Nico up bridal style and sent Eli a comforting smile, no doubt because of the mess she was going to have to fix, before leaving. Eli opened the door for her before sighing and looking at the scene before her.

Hanayo was still passed out, Nozomi had disappeared to the bathroom most likely because of all the water she had been drinking, and Tsubasa was trying to calm down Honoka and Rin, who had somehow turned on the karaoke machine, but was ultimately failing. Fortunately for her, Kotori had successfully gotten Umi to sleep and was bringing her to her room.

Eli decided to deal with the hardest problem first and walked towards Tsubasa, who started to look more amused than worried. It took Eli 5 seconds to realize why.

"Imma Barbie gurl, in a Barbie whorl!" Honoka sang ridiculously off-key as Rin followed up.

"Come on Barbie nyats go partay!"

"Uh uh uh, yeah!"

"Overflowing freedom!" Rin exclaimed as she tried to take her shirt off again but stumbled in the process, falling onto the couch. Rin then sat up quick, her eyes wide as if she had found out she had homework due midnight that night. "Oh but mah Kayo-chin no like overflowing freedom. Dangnyamit."

Honoka just laughed at her but helped her up, patting her back to comfort her before continuing to sing.

"Booty! Me! Down!"

"They have that song, nya?" Rin asked, her curiosity immediately replacing the pout that was on her face seconds ago.

"Of course! You installed it, remember?" Honoka giggled as she danced to the rhythm.

"Oh right! Booty! Me! Down!" Rin exclaimed with her, bouncing up and down as she and Honoka tried to dance together. They ended up looking like chickens running around with their heads cut off with the way they flailed their arms about.

"Do you need help?" Eli asked with genuine concern as she stood next to Tsubasa, who laughed and shook her head.

"I'm fine. At least they aren't messy drunks like Anju and Erena." Tsubasa said before she smiled knowingly. She gave Eli a little nudge towards the rooms, seeming a bit more comfortable with her despite their history. "After making sure Hanayo-san is taken care of, you should go look for Nozomi-san."

Eli blushed, knowing what Tsubasa was getting at, "R-Right."

Eli left and looked for Hanayo, who was still unconscious on the table. With a sigh, she picked her up and walked into the hallway, looking for Rin's room. It wasn't hard, considering how one door was blank, another had some sort of mystical decoration, and the last was filled with cat stickers.

Eli opened the door and carefully placed her on the bed, making sure that there would be enough space for Rin later before leaving. When she leaved, she went to Umi's door out of curiosity. She opened it a little and peeked inside, not surprised to see Kotori snuggled up to Umi, who was mumbling something under her breath.

"Whatcha doing, Elichi?" Nozomi asked quietly out of nowhere, making Eli jump slightly and close the door gently.

"N-Nozomi!" Eli stammered as she clasped the front of her shirt as if her heart were to jump out before smiling sheepishly, "I was just, um, making sure they were okay."

"Of course you were." Nozomi replied, her eyes twinkling with mischievousness as she shot her a knowing smile. Eli just averted her eyes, knowing that she got caught. "Now c'mon, I want to give you your gift now."

As Nozomi took her hand and led her into her room, Eli asked curiously, "How come you decided to give it to me now?"

"I," Nozomi started unsurely before shaking her head and closing the door with finality, "I wanted to give it to you when no one else was watching. But also because I needed to talk to you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine." Eli responded honestly as she looked around the room. It wasn't the first time she had been inside and she loved how Nozomi liked to put her most prized pictures on her wall. She felt a sense of pride at being part of half of them and couldn't help but smile.

Eli hummed thoughtfully as moved to sit on Nozomi's bed, wondering what was so important for Nozomi to talk to her about without the scrutiny of the others. She felt nervous for some reason; her palms were sweaty and her legs would have been shaking had she not been sitting. With a deep inhale, she wiped her hands on her pants and looked at Nozomi, who was standing and fidgeting with something behind her back.

"You can talk to me about anything, but sit down next to me; I'd feel uncomfortable if you stood the entire time." Eli comforted with a reassuring smile, making Nozomi smile softly in return.

Nozomi sat down next to her and held out the gifts with a blush, making Eli look down and stare at it. She realized with embarrassment that one was in the shape of a heart with red packaging as if it were a romantic gift and the other was a rather small box, making her curiosity heighten even more.

At sensing Eli's surprise over the packaging, Nozomi quickly explained, "The chocolatier shop you liked, um, gave me that packaging."

"I see." Eli replied hesitantly, a bit down that Nozomi hadn't meant for it to be romantic. Regardless, she inwardly steeled herself and smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Nozomi. Really."

"Don't thank me when you haven't opened the gift yet, darling." Nozomi teased with a giggle but Eli only shook her head, her smile growing wider as she leaned in.

"I already know that I'll love whatever you give me." Eli responded sweetly, making Nozomi flush and giggle again.

"You're such a charmer, Elichi." Nozomi said as she poked her on the nose before smiling and continuing, "Go on, open it."

At knowing what the heart-shaped gift was, Eli decided to open it first. When she realized that it was an assortment of multiple chocolates, an ecstatic smile formed on her face and she felt joy bubble deep within.

"Is this why you asked me what my favorite chocolate was a couple weeks ago?" Eli asked, her eyes brightening up like a little kid on Christmas Day, making Nozomi laugh loudly.

"Yes." Nozomi answered with a big grin, loving how exuberant Eli had become. She found it adorable how genuinely excited she got. She then motioned for her to get the other gift. "Now open the other one."

Eli promptly opened the package, wondering what could be in such a small box. As she lifted the cover, she was met with a beautiful custom-made locket. In awe, she opened it and saw a picture of her and Nozomi from when they visited the amusement park a couple weeks back.

Maki had invited everyone because her parents had gotten her tickets as a reward for getting into a top tier university. Everyone split up according to how they liked their rides—the Idiot Trio went to the rollercoasters, the "Biggest Boobs out of my Age Group", as Nico liked to call Hanayo, Kotori, and Nozomi, went for the less extreme rides, and the "Admirable Assholes", as Rin liked to call Maki, Umi, and Eli, went for the games where prizes could be won.

Eventually, they met up again and stayed as a big group. However, Nozomi had gotten Eli to break away from them and they went off by themselves, playing games and winning even more prizes. It was when Eli had won Nozomi a huge tanuki stuffed toy that Nozomi claimed they had to take a picture. And so they did, with Eli proudly wrapping an arm around Nozomi's shoulders and Nozomi leaning into her side embrace, holding up her toy gleefully.

However, the left-hand side, which would typically have some words inscribed on it, was blank, making Eli wonder if Nozomi had done it on purpose.

"I have the same necklace." Nozomi softly brought up as she rested her head on her shoulder, diverting Eli's attention from the locket to her. She looked down and saw Nozomi fiddling with the same necklace nervously. With a deep inhale, Nozomi lifted her head off and smiled.

"I was wondering what I should inscribe on the left side but then I decided that it should be up to you. After all, it is your birthday." Nozomi confessed, making Eli smile gratefully at her.

"You've really outdone yourself, Nozomi. I don't deserve this much. You've gotten me two gifts when all I was expecting was one." Eli murmured as she took hold of one of Nozomi's hands, squeezing it to show her appreciation.

"I think you deserve the stars, Elichi." Nozomi responded with a cheeky grin, making Eli laugh and lean in.

"Then can I have you?"

Wait.

What did she just say?

The shocked look on Nozomi's face only confirmed that yes, she did just say hat out loud. Eli's eyes widened and she turned away, breaking eye contact as she coughed nervously. She shut her eyes and prayed that Nozomi would laugh it off or something.

However, she never expected Nozomi to gently turn her around. She never expected her to look at her with seriousness. And she definitely never expected her face to be burrowed in her shoulder.

"Say it again." Nozomi asked softly, her voice muffled from her position on Eli. And it was at this moment that Eli had a revelation—everything became as clear as a cloudless day.

The way she blushed, the way she shyly hid her face, the way she whispered her request nervously—it was obvious Nozomi liked her back.

 _'God, I'm an idiot.'_ Eli inwardly cursed as she wrapped her arms around Nozomi.

"I think you're amazing, Nozomi, and like the stars you bright up my life every time I'm around you." Eli spoke gently as she moved back so she could look Nozomi in the eyes. She raised one hand to her chin, stroking it softly as she gave her a smile. "And I'm proud to say that I've fallen for you."

Nozomi blushed heavily but the smile on her face was ecstatic. She giggled as she leaned in, brushing her nose with Eli's.

"I've been waiting a long time for you to say that, Elichi." Nozomi admitted with a warm smile, making Eli blush and stutter.

"W-Wait, you knew?" Eli asked in surprise and Nozomi laughed, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Everyone did." Nozomi replied cheekily as she leaned in again, "Does this mean I can call you darling all I want?"

"Only if I get to call you honey." Eli responded smoothly, laughing with Nozomi.

When the laughter died out, silence encompassed the room. The only sounds heard were the faint breaths of the occupants in the room. Tension seemed to grow the longer Eli looked into Nozomi's eyes and she felt herself getting nervous again.

Eli didn't know who made the first move. All she knew was that Nozomi's soft lips were on her own and she'd be damned if she didn't kiss her back.

One kiss turned into two. Two kisses turned into three. Soft, sweet kisses soon transformed into a passionate mesh of lips.

Eli pushed against her, feeling the desire to be surround herself by nothing but Nozomi. She placed one hand on her knee, mindlessly massaging it as she kept the other on the bed. Nozomi chose to drape her arms around Eli's neck, using one of her hands to untie her ponytail.

Wanting to feel more, Eli gently pushed Nozomi down on her bed. She had one arm on Nozomi's waist and the other to hold herself steady.

 _'She's way too beautiful.'_ Eli thought as she felt Nozomi moan into her mouth.

When she felt the need to breathe, Eli pulled away, panting as she looked down at Nozomi. She smiled warmly at the sound of Nozomi's light giggles and at the sight of her affectionate eyes. Wanting to show her love for her, she brushed her nose against hers before leaning in once more.

Their lips met slowly but sensually. Eli felt Nozomi grasp the back of her shirt tightly, as if she were afraid she would be gone if she had let go. Eli responded by squeezing her waist, telling her that she would never leave.

When one of Nozomi's hands grazed a sensitive spot on her neck, Eli broke the kiss to moan loudly. She responded by squeezing Nozomi's thigh and pushing against her even more before locking their lips once again. She felt Nozomi groan into her mouth and arch her body towards her, making Eli smirk. She slipped her hand under her shirt and touched the soft plane of her stomach—

"Eli-chan! Wherez youh? I's wants to tell youh that youh is bootyful like Nozomemes~"

—only to take it out and break off the kiss at the spontaneous interruption.

Eli got up and turned around, seeing a drunk Honoka and a sympathetic Tsubasa that were both as shocked as her.

"I tried to stop her but she's a lot more rowdy when she's drunk. I've gotten Rin-san into her room but I didn't clean up because I felt it wasn't polite for me to look into cabinets and such. I'll be taking Honoka home too." Tsubasa explained with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, we'll leave you now."

"Nozomemes, youh best better hit me up tomorrow!" Honoka yelled drunkenly as she was dragged away by Tsubasa, somehow able to comprehend the situation Eli and Nozomi were in, making Nozomi giggle as she sat up.

"Well, that was a fun way to waste time." Nozomi grinned mischievously but Eli only turned around and leaned in again.

"When I'm with you, there's no time that's wasted." Eli replied softly but was stopped by Nozomi's finger on her lips.

"You're such a charmer, Elichi." Nozomi giggled and Eli blushed lightly, just realizing what she had said. "And I didn't know you were the aggressive type."

"What can I say? It's the effect you have on me." Eli responded honestly with a grin and Nozom giggled more.

"I think I like this new side of Elichi." Nozomi whispered teasingly and Eli leaned in, compelled to kiss her right then and there, but Nozomi stopped her once again. "Nu uh. We still need to clean up the mess outside."

Eli bit back a groan at the thought but tried not to show her displeasure; she'd rather spend time with her girlfriend than clean up. Nozomi knew better though, and she laughed when Eli pouted slightly.

"Elichi's so needy. It hasn't been a couple hours since we've been dating and you already want to go to bed with me. Makes me wonder~" Nozomi teased and Eli's eyes widened.

"N-No, of course not! I love you and I would never—" Eli sputtered, her hands swiftly taking Nozomi's as she tried to tell her that she didn't want her just for sex, but Nozomi silenced her with a kiss.

"I know. I was just joking, but it is nice to hear those words from you." Nozomi admitted with a sly smile, her cheeks colored a rosy red from Eli's direct confession. Eli was about to grumble but Nozomi continued in a softer tone, "I love you too."

Eli felt her throat constrict and an indistinguishable noise came out from the back of her throat. She was used to hearing those words but when it came out of Nozomi's mouth, it made her heart beat faster. It made her head swirl and her stomach feel funny. But most importantly, it made her heart fill with warmth, and she couldn't help but give her an affectionate smile.

"Let's go, Elichi." Nozomi spoke as she got up from the bed. However, before she left the room, she decided to try something out of Kotori's book. She leaned down and whispered in Eli's ear, "If we clean up everything before midnight, I'll give you a reward."

The house was sparkling clean within half an hour.

When they were finished, Nozomi told Eli that her reward would be given tomorrow, making Eli pout a little. In order to cheer her up, Nozomi gave her a kiss, which worked effectively. Eli then went to the kitchen so she could drink water some while Nozomi relaxed on the couch. She soon joined her, wrapping her arm around Nozomi's shoulder as they flipped through the channels.

"Should we go to sleep soon?" Eli suggested when she felt Nozomi rest her head on her after a considerable amount of time.

"Mhm, it's getting late." Nozomi mumbled as she bit back a yawn. "You're sleeping over, right?"

Eli blushed lightly, wondering if it would be appropriate before asking, "Would it be fine for me to sleep over?"

"I wouldn't mind. Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan are here anyways." Nozomi responded silently, leaning more into Eli who hummed thoughtfully.

"Then I guess I could sleep over." Eli said as she placed a kiss of Nozomi's forehead. "Come on honey, we should get going so you can set up the extra futon."

Nozomi laughed softly at Eli's new nickname for her, not knowing that she was actually serious about using it. She got out of her position next to Eli but instead of standing up, she sat on top of Eli's lap.

"It's only fine if you're next to me." Nozomi whispered with a smirk, leaning in to press her lips against hers but before Eli could even respond, she had gotten off. Eli blinked with shock as Nozomi giggled uncontrollably, no doubt at how red she had gotten within a matter of seconds.

"Mou, Nozomi..." Eli spoke, although it sounded more like a whine, as she bit her lip before getting up. Nozomi tried running but she caught her by the waist. She pressed her lips on her neck before mumbling to her ear, "I'll never leave your side because I'm eternally yours."

Eli laughed this time, liking how Nozomi became flustered this time around. She released her but grabbed hold of her hand, smiling genuinely as she led them towards Nozomi's room. Nozomi promptly gave her some sleepwear she could change into and the two snuggled into bed, giggling mindlessly at nothing in particular.

"Is it fine if we use that for the locket?" Eli questioned after a moment, making Nozomi look at her curiously.

"Use what?" Nozomi asked sleepily, making Eli move closer towards her.

"Eternally yours." Eli whispered with a smile and even though it was somewhat dark, she could see Nozomi's blush.

"Y-Yeah." Nozomi mumbled, returning Eli's smile with one of her own. The two then pressed their lips together, locking the promise that they had just made.

Within moments, there was nothing heard but the soft sounds of their own breaths and the quiet rustling of the wind. The night may have become darker and the air even colder, but it didn't matter.

Everyone had someone out there looking out for them and for these girls, they were right next to them.

* * *

 **AN:** Three down, two to go. Are we close to the end? Not really. There are still some key events that are going to happen so I would put this as halfway-ish, maybe more. And no, I didn't forget about Maki wanting to experiment with a Snickers bar. I would too if Eli were a real person lol. Oh right, I forgot to give creds to nico-nasty once again. This time it was for Umi's terrible "U and Mi get together" pickup line. I love her shitposts lol.

That being said, the next chapter will focus on Lily White's perspective, which means more KotoUmi and RinPana! I feel like I overloaded the NicoMaki and NozoEli here so they'll be in the background somewhat for now. TsubaHono will also show up quite often, being the ridiculously adorable gay couple they are. Anyways, it's going to be about the Halloween party at You's beach house, which will include a lot of alcohol, swearing, and some steamy stuff ;)

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, I'm sorry if anyone is ooc or if there are grammar mistakes considering how this chapter was pretty long. As always, reviews and criticisms are much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Okay, first off, I gotta point out that I edited the past chapters so I could get a feel of this fic again cause jfc, it's been a _long_ couple of months. There weren't any major edits except for changing Nozomi's major to Psychology; it was mostly grammar edits. I meant to post this before the year was over but life decided that it was the right time to screw me over. But I s2g I'm still alive and I'm not gonna drop this fic (lookin at you, Graggy, thanks for reviewing btw! Everyone else too! Y'all are amazing) bc I still have so many ideas. In fact, I'd say we got at least three chapters left.

Anyways, here's a long ass update that will hopefully make up for my absence. I actually meant for the party scene to happen here, but then I had the desire to save the sinking ship known as 'KotoUmi' and this happened lol. There's more notes on the bottom but for now, here's a very brief recap of what happened in the last chapter since I'm sure you guys forgot what happened:

 _The gang celebrates Eli's birthday and get drunk af by playing "Never Have I Ever". Once everyone is accounted for, Nozomi leads Eli into her room to give her the presents she bought. Eli finally realizes how Nozomi feels about her and the two get together but before they could have any personal time, Honoka and Tsubasa interrupt. When those two leave, they clean the house and spend the night together, although not in_ that _sense. Not yet anyways ;)_

* * *

There was a flash of light and an indistinct noise, and if Umi strained her eyes and ears, she would be able to hear the soft, melodious giggle coming from the indistinguishable person in front of her. However, her head throbbed and pulsated in pain, as if she had hit it on something. It made her vision hazy and her sense of hearing unclear, and with squinted eyes she gazed forward, trying to make sense of the blur in front of her.

Curiously, she stepped forward and reached out but the unknown figure, who started to look more and more like a woman, only moved backwards, giving her what seemed to be a teasing smile. Umi frowned slightly and stepped forward once again but she still avoided her, her giggles becoming louder all the while. It became a dance from then on as Umi moved forward while the woman moved back, taunting her with her amused laughter. At some point, Umi stopped with agitation and opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by her low whisper.

"Shall I give you your reward, Umi-chan?"

When Umi blinked, her vision cleared and she saw Kotori leaning in front of her, wearing that same teasing smile. She blushed at the sudden proximity and tried to reply but was silenced once again. However, words did not interrupt her speech.

Lips did.

With a sharp inhale, Umi sat up from her bed, tightly clutching her shirt as she became painfully conscious because of her dream. She immediately regretted sitting up so quickly because her headache started to worsen. With a soft groan, she laid back down and moved over to the side to bury her face in her pillow as she wondered about what had happened in her dream.

 _'What was that about?'_ Umi thought with another groan, opening her eyes slightly. _'Where am I?'_

At recognizing the familiar walls of her room, she closed her eyes and sighed. All she wanted to do now was sleep until her headache went away. However, she couldn't find a comfortable position that would ease her mind so she tossed and turned mindlessly, trying to find that one sweet spot on the bed. She groaned at her unsuccessful attempts but kept moving until a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist to stop her movements.

Umi opened her eyes with alarm. She slowly moved her head to the side, afraid of what she was going to see. Her fears were confirmed when she heard a quiet voice speak tiredly.

"Umi-chan, it's too early." Kotori whispered as she leaned in, moving her hands to grasp the front of Umi's shirt and lay her head under her chin.

Let's learn some chemistry: clueless Umi + Kotori in her bed = an extremely gay reaction.

 _'What the hell happened? Why is she here? Is this why I dreamt about her? Did I drink too much? I can't remember what happened so I probably did. But Kotori's here? With me? On my bed? Did we—'_ Umi inwardly rambled as her eyes widened by the second. However, when she felt that her clothes were still on, she calmed down.

Until she remembered the situation she was in, which in turn caused her stress levels to skyrocket. Umi immediately tried to calm her heart down because she was sure Kotori could hear it. She was just so—

 _'—close to me.'_ Umi thought nervously as she tried to calculate the chances of embarrassing herself. Over the roof, probably.

At feeling Umi stiffen up, Kotori slightly moved away to pout, prompting Umi's heart to beat even more erratically. Gods, she was so adorable.

"Umi-chan, I'm so tired~ Let's sleep some more." Kotori childishly mumbled with drowsy eyes before moving back in to cuddle with her. "Just relax for a bit."

At hearing and feeling no response, Kotori opened her eyes to see Umi frozen like a petrified statue. With a light giggle, Kotori led one of Umi's hands around her waist before settling in under her chin again.

"Now let's go to sleep, Umi-chan." Kotori muttered silently with finality and Umi couldn't help but blush hard.

Here she was in her room with her crush in her arms. She had absolutely no recollection of what had happened the night before and she couldn't help but think that something important had happened. But the more she thought about it, the more stressed she got. The more stressed she got, the more tired she became.

And so, Umi, in her lightheaded and weary state of mind, decided to take Kotori's advice and go back to sleep. But unfortunately for her, the gods were not on her side today.

She woke up 4 hours later than her usual wake up time to the sounds of cameras flashing and obnoxious giggles.

"Look at them, they're so cute! Oh, she's all grown up now."

"...Nozomi, I think pictures are a bit too much."

"Of course nyat! Umi-chan will understand in the future, right Kayo-chin?"

"Ano, I don't know about that, Rin-chan."

With a light groan, Umi carefully unwrapped her arms around Kotori, who was still sleeping peacefully, to sit up and glare at the four unwanted occupants in her room.

"Out." Umi mumbled darkly, and everyone left within the blink of an eye.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair and looked down at Kotori. She momentarily thought about what to do before deciding to just wake her up, puppy eyes be damned.

"Kotori." Umi whispered as she nudged her, making her groan lightly.

"Kotori." Umi tried again but more insistently, and she finally opened her eyes.

"Kotori, its 12 already." Umi whispered as she motioned to the clock on her nightstand and Kotori pouted.

"But Umi-chan, my head hurts and I'm so tired~" Kotori mumbled as she wrapped her arms around Umi's waist and rested her head on her lap, looking up to her with a sleepy pout. Umi knew better than to fall for that trick again so she steeled herself and tried not to give in.

Saying it was hard was the understatement of the century.

"If you sleep too much, you'll get even more tired. Now come on, we should eat lunch since we missed breakfast, especially after last night." Umi stated sternly as she unwrapped Kotori's arms, making her pout once again.

"I'll get up, but only if you take me out for lunch." Kotori bargained with a drowsy smile as she looked up to Umi, her amber eyes regaining its focus and liveliness the longer she kept eye contact. Umi couldn't look away even if she wanted to because of how captivating they were. She was inexplicably mesmerized and felt herself being pushed towards her by some sort of force, but Umi stopped herself just in time.

"O-Okay." Umi hastily agreed, breaking eye contact with a nervous cough when she realized what she was about to do. Deciding that she had enough with the seemingly awkward atmosphere, she made eye contact again and ignored the knowing smile on Kotori's face, stating with what she hoped to be a neutral tone, "We should go get ready."

"Do you mind if I use the shower?" Kotori said with a yawn as she sat up, rubbing one of her eyes as if she was a child who stayed up late waiting for Santa. Umi found it cute, but she'd never admit that aloud. That'd be shameless, after all.

"Of course not." Umi replied as she got up from the bed and walked over to her desk where there were two cups of water. She eyed the note and recognized Eli's handwriting. How polite of her. "Do you want some water?"

"Yeah." Kotori answered and Umi turned around to give her a cup. Kotori flashed her a grateful smile and continued, "Honoka-chan texted me saying she brought me and Hanayo-chan a change of clothes earlier. She could be so thoughtful sometimes."

"If only she were thoughtful all the time." Umi grumbled, making Kotori giggle.

"Now, don't be so harsh on her." Kotori poked her on the nose, making Umi blush slightly.

"If I don't, then who will?" Umi retorted with an eyebrow raised but Kotori just giggled again.

"Don't worry about her, Umi-chan. I know that you promised Mama Kousaka that you would watch her, but she really can handle herself at this point." Kotori responded with amusement, no doubt at how concerned Umi was when it came to Honoka. She then continued with a sly wink, "Is it fine if I shower first? Or do you want to join me?"

"K-Kotori!" Umi choked out as Kotori giggled even more.

"I'm just joking, Umi-chan~" Kotori said sweetly and Umi just shook her head, the blush still apparent on her face.

"You can go shower first. I'm going to sit and rest my head a bit." Umi said with a small sigh as she sat down on her chair, drinking some water before putting her hand to her head to try to quell her annoying headache and lingering feelings of nausea. She briefly wondered if she had thrown up at some point but decided not to think about it. Anything that required mental or physical stress was making her headache worse.

However, after a moment, she sensed Kotori in front of her. Curiously, she looked up only to blink in surprise at the sensation of something soft on her forehead.

"You bumped your head on the way to your room last night, so here's a kiss to make it better." Kotori explained gently with a comforting smile before turning around and leaving the room. "I'll go first, Umi-chan!"

Umi sat in silence with a stunned expression on her face for a good 10 minutes, as if her mind had shut down. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was open, and if Rin, Honoka, or Nico had seen her, then they would've gotten some first class blackmail material—that's how ridiculous she looked at the moment. It was only when the shower turned off that Umi remembered what was happening and closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm her nerves. She briefly heard Nozomi calling Kotori to her room and decided then it was time for her to go.

The fear of seeing Kotori with nothing but a towel on was not the reason why Umi decided to wait until she went into Nozomi's room. Nope. Definitely not.

Once Umi heard a door close, she moved to her dresser and got out a change of clothes before leaving her room. She headed towards the bathroom and showered quickly, ignoring her desire to stay in the blissfully warm water but enjoying the fact that her headache and nauseousness had lessened considerably. After, she went back to her room, dried her hair, and got dressed. When she was ready, she took her keys and phone and left again.

When she walked into the living room, she was met with a blushing Eli and a giggling Nozomi. Kotori was looking at them with a happy and somewhat dreamy expression while Rin and Hanayo were in their own world, merrily laughing at some idol show on the TV as if the night before hadn't happened. Nozomi or Eli probably gave them something earlier to clear their heads up.

"Ah, Umi-chan, do you want some juice?" Nozomi asked with a wide grin when she noticed Umi walk in.

"Yes, juice would be perfect." Umi replied as she sat on one of the chairs, mildly concerned about her suspicious smile but paid it no attention; Nozomi was probably up to no good as usual. She promptly started to read the newspaper that Nozomi had gotten from the porch but was distracted by Eli's fidgeting.

"Are you okay?" Umi asked carefully and Eli choked on her water. She blinked with confusion as Kotori patted Eli's back in comfort.

"A-Ah, yes. I'm fine." Eli responded with a hesitant smile and cleared her throat as Nozomi came back with Umi's favorite cup. Nozomi giggled at her while she poured some juice for Umi.

"Oh, don't mind her. She's just a bit nervous." Nozomi commented with a wink towards Eli, who blushed even more.

"Mou, Nozomi..." Eli replied lamely and Umi looked at them, terribly lost as to why Eli was acting odd.

"Nervous about what? Midterms?" Umi asked, knowing that Eli had a couple of tests to take. However, Eli shook her head with a sheepish smile. She inhaled deeply and exhaled silently before speaking.

"Well, you see, I—" Eli started with an uneasy smile but Rin interrupted gleefully.

"—She got Nozomi-chan pregnant, nya!" Rin exclaimed and Eli's expression turned fearful almost as fast as Maki jumping to conclusions, which is pretty damn fast considering how Maki was (probably) the worst mood reader out of the entire group.

"N-No, that isn't what happened! I swear—" Eli protested frantically with her hands up when Umi squinted at her, making Umi wonder what was on her mind that made her so jumpy.

"I know for sure that didn't happen because girls can't get each other pregnant and even then, Eli's not the type of person who does that." Umi responded calmly as she directed her glare to Rin, "She's actually responsible, unlike someone here who starts essays the night it's due."

Rin stuck her tongue out at her in return before cuddling with Hanayo, who started (tried) to scold her. Rin just pouted as she let Hanayo lightly chop her head before using her cuteness to get away with it like usual.

"That's true~ Elichi is a very diligent student." Nozomi agreed in a sing-song voice before her lips curled up into a seemingly innocent smile, making Umi frown slightly. She learned long ago that some of Nozomi's expressions meant the complete opposite of what she was actually trying to portray; she was a master at having a poker face, after all. For this reason, Umi eyed Nozomi carefully, but Nozomi just ignored her and shot Eli a knowing look, continuing with a wink, "But she's very _diligent_ in other ways as well."

"Ooohh! Spill! Spill!" Kotori squealed as she got up to bring Nozomi to the seat next to hers. Nozomi laughed and didn't hold back, proceeding to tell Kotori what Umi presumed to be the events of the night before.

"Wait, does that mean..." Umi whispered to herself as she connected the pieces and looked at Eli, who cleared her throat but kept eye contact.

"We're together," Eli confirmed as she kept Umi's steel gaze, and Umi was slightly surprised that she was able to speak so clearly. She seemed to be really nervous just moments ago, "and I know we've talked about this before and that you're okay with it, but I really want to stress that I would never hurt her in any way."

Umi ignored how Kotori and Nozomi were gushing and whispering gleefully and continued to stare at Eli with scrutiny, but she showed no signs of dishonesty. With a light sigh, Umi got up and mentioned for her to get up too.

"Come with me. We need to talk." Umi ordered sternly as she walked towards her room. Eli followed shortly and closed the door when they went in.

"Are you _really_ sure about this?" was the first thing Umi asked, making Eli look at her with confusion. However, it didn't last long and she soon regained her composure. She stood up straighter, taller, and with more grace than Umi had ever seen in her lifetime, which was a pretty high compliment considering Umi's background.

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Eli answered with such strong resolution and determination that Umi's hard facade finally cracked.

She gave Eli a small, proud smile and took her hand out. Eli, still somewhat confused, shook her hand silently.

"Take good care of her." Umi stated briefly as she patted Eli's shoulder before opening the door and leaving her. On the other hand, Eli was still rooted to the ground with bewilderment and hadn't moved a muscle after Umi's simple statement.

"I hope you didn't go too harsh on her, Umi-chan." Nozomi commented when Umi walked back into the living room alone. Umi shook her head with an amused smile as she sat back down on her chair and continued reading.

"I already know she's competent enough to handle someone like you." Umi replied honestly, sipping on her juice while Nozomi laughed, unfazed at the light jab directed at her.

"Last week's arcade incident completely sealed the deal, didn't it?" Nozomi inquired with a knowing smile and Umi looked up to give her a deadpan look.

"If you already know, then why ask in the first place?" Umi retorted and Nozomi laughed again.

The week before, Nozomi had persuaded Eli and Maki to go to the arcade because she and Nico arrived at their house with dinner only to see them on the verge of passing out with nothing but caffeine in their system. The day after that, they dragged the two to the arcade because they knew their competitiveness would allow them to think about something other than midterms. Needless to say, Nico had gotten at least $100 worth of stuffed toys while Nozomi had gotten a new water gun as a result of all the tickets Eli and Maki earned.

Umi could never forget the vibrant, ecstatic smile on Nozomi's face when she came home with Eli. It was as if she owned the world and as cheesy as it sounded, Umi knew that it was only because Eli was right by her side.

Or, as Rin so eloquently described, those two were gayer than a unicorn shitting out a double rainbow, and it was about time they got together.

"Where is she?" Nozomi asked and Umi hummed in reply.

"Still in the room, I believe. She's probably in shock because she thought I would give her a list of rules she needs to follow," Umi answered and finished her cup of juice before continuing, "but I'm not your mother. The two of you can handle yourselves."

However, when Nozomi grinned widely, she shot her a warning glance, which made Nozomi laugh and put her hands up in defense. With a hum of approval, she then turned her attention towards Kotori, giving her a small smile as she asked, "Are you ready to go now?"

"Yeah." Kotori replied with an excited smile. "Nozomi-chan, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Oh, and I'll call Nicocchi and Honoka-chan too." Nozomi said with a wink and Umi held back a sigh. They were probably going to gossip about who knows what again. At least whenever she, Eli, Rin, and Maki hung out they got some exercise done. Well, each to their own, Umi guessed.

"Can I borrow your car?" Umi inquired once she had washed her cup and Nozomi gave her an amused look.

"You mean our car? The very same car that both you and Rin have keys to?" Nozomi corrected but Umi gave her an unimpressed stare.

"Technically, the car goes under your name." Umi stated and Nozomi rolled her eyes playfully.

"You and your technicalities. You should stop thinking so analytically every now and then." Nozomi chastised and continued when she saw Umi open her mouth to retort, "I bet you're trying to calculate the chances of embarrassing yourself right now."

Nozomi promptly burst out with laughter when she saw how red Umi got; she knew about Umi's love for statistics and logic ever since they were kids. However, she decided to take some mercy on her and patted her head before gently pushing the two outside.

"Now, now. The two of you go have as much fun as you can before you realize midterms and stress are a couple days away." Nozomi teased and yelled before closing the door, "No hanky panky, you two!"

Umi blushed heavily at Nozomi's ending statement and felt her heart stop for a moment. She couldn't even respond back because she had spaced out in shock momentarily, wondering if Kotori had caught onto her feelings because of Nozomi's implications.

Or maybe it was just her hangover that made her feel so slow and unfocused. Yeah, it was probably that.

"Umi-chan. Umi-chan!" Kotori waved her hand in front of Umi's face and she blinked. "Where do you want to get lunch?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about earlier." Umi apologized with a sheepish smile, deciding to just deal with the effects of last night as best as she could. She became quiet for a moment, considering their options before asking, "Do you just want to go to the cafe as usual?"

"I'm fine with that." Kotori smiled happily as she and Umi walked to the car and got in. The car ride there was filled with pleasant small talk, which continued until they got to their usual table at the cafe they frequented often.

"So how come you were fine with Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan dating?" Kotori asked as she sipped on her water and Umi hummed thoughtfully.

"When I first met her, I already knew that she was...a viable option for Nozomi." Umi answered as she recalled their first meeting. She felt her lips form into a small smile at how ridiculously obvious Eli was with her affections for Nozomi and how her initial opinion of her completely changed. She was also definitely better than some of the other girls Nozomi had taken home.

"But as the months flew by, I saw the effect she had on Nozomi. Nozomi started to smile a lot more for reasons other than pranks and she actually seems motivated to do her work. I'm sure Eli's work habits have rubbed off on her." Umi continued with a small chuckle, somewhat amazed that Nozomi's work ethics actually improved. She was the type to procrastinate when it came to work, after all.

"That's so true! Nozomi-chan seems to be a lot more happier this year than last year." Kotori agreed with a happy smile before giggling nervously. "I used to be so afraid of Eli-chan though. She used to glare everyone down last year."

"Ah, I remember that," Umi affirmed with another chuckle, recalling the times she felt the hallways become colder just because of Eli's presence. With a shake of her head, she continued, "but do remember who she's friends with now."

Kotori giggled at her comment, no doubt at the thought of the Idiot Trio and their leader, Captain Nozomi. Those four were the most outgoing and friendliest out of their mismatched set of friends, and it was without a doubt that their ridiculous antics had more of a positive than a negative effect on Eli. Or, well, everybody.

"I think it's wonderful." Kotori sighed dreamily and Umi looked at her curiously.

"What do you think is wonderful?" Umi questioned and Kotori gave her a fond smile.

"Love."

Umi blushed lightly when Kotori looked at her with an unfathomable intensity. She felt as if the air in the cafe had gotten warmer and tried to discreetly tug at her sweater.

"Why do you think that?" Umi managed to ask calmly and Kotori hummed lightly in response.

"Well, don't you think it's amazing that Eli-chan was able to have such an effect on Nozomi-chan?" Kotori brought up and Umi hummed thoughtfully.

"Mhm, and there's no doubt that Nozomi has changed Eli for the better as well." Umi commented as she thought about how Eli was starting to relax more as the days passed by. She had improved a lot when it came to social situations. In fact, it was just last week that she was able to tutor someone without making them cry. It was quite the improvement, Umi thought with a proud nod. "However, you should remember that sometimes, love can change people for the worst."

"I know, but I just think it's a wonderful emotion in general." Kotori smiled with twinkling eyes and Umi thought she was blinded by how angelic she looked at the moment. She was just so sparkling and pure and—

 _'—C'mon, get ahold of yourself.'_ Umi thought inwardly, as if she could control her gayness. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have that ability and actually did the opposite at times. Fortunately for her, it wasn't right now.

Moments after, the waiter had come by with their food. The topic then changed back into what Umi deemed as appropriate table talk, which consisted of basic topics like the weather, school, and family.

Once they had finished, Umi paid for the check and they both left the cafe, but when Umi started walking towards the parking lot, Kotori insisted that they walk around a bit in order to let their stomachs settle. And so, this is how Umi found herself walking around the street with Kotori, who had one hand wrapped around her arm and the other happily pointing at various stores.

Crazy that Umi never thought of the fact that they looked like a couple to a stranger's eyes.

"Oh, Honoka-chan told me that place has some really good cheesecakes!" Kotori remarked with a smile and Umi chuckled lightly. A woman nearby gushed to her friend about how cute the two were but Umi just thought that she was talking about someone else.

"You and your love for cheesecakes. You'll get fat if you eat too much of those." Umi commented with mock-disappointment, ignoring the feeling of someone staring at her and Kotori. Kotori pouted at her response and swung herself out of her hold on Umi.

"Mou, there's nothing wrong with cheesecakes. They're so sweet and delicious, and I rarely eat them." Kotori defended with a childish smile before leaning up to poke Umi's nose playfully, "And you can't talk—not with your obsession for Honoka's family's manjuus."

"In my defense, I only get them occasionally as well. They also bake it to the point that it melts in your mouth and has the right amount of sweetness." Umi started but caught herself before she started a poetic rant on how perfect her favorite manjuus were. With a light blush, she cleared her throat and simply ended, "I find it exquisite."

Kotori giggled at her antics, knowing exactly what she was about to do. Umi just averted her eyes, hoping that Kotori thought her cheeks were red because of the cold weather. Meanwhile, the people nearby were still talking about how she and Kotori looked cute together, although Umi never noticed because she was too distracted.

"But you only like their manjuus and disregard everyone else's. At least I love cheesecakes in general. You have to love the food, Umi-chan. You can't just love it because of the brand." Kotori playfully bit back with a giggle and Umi sighed in defeat, unconsciously moving her hand downwards to grasp Kotori's before lightly pulling her along and continuing their regular walking pace. Someone nearby cheered and told her friend that he owed her money for winning the bet. Of course, Umi didn't notice that the bet was about her and Kotori because she was too caught up with her. On the other hand, Kotori knew all about it and felt her confidence soar.

"I think I would like to leave this argument on food to Honoka." Umi replied as Kotori leaned in close enough to rest her head on her shoulder. They walked slowly, looking at different stores and restaurants and creating a mental list of certain places they would try out. After agreeing on checking out one of the many restaurants in the area, Umi noticed Kotori shiver slightly and it was then that she realized what outfit she was wearing.

"Honoka packed you some odd clothes for this weather." Umi noted with concern as she looked at Kotori's hoodie, which was fashionable (as expected) but seemed to be made out of thin material. "Do you want to borrow my sweater?"

"No thank you." Kotori shook her head with a soft smile as she leaned closer and continued, "As long as I get to hold your hand and feel your warmth, I'm okay."

Umi blinked with confusion before she realized just how close she was to Kotori. But before she could say or do anything, Kotori started walking again. She kept their hands interlocked and leaned even more into Umi, making her heart pound faster by the minute.

"Umi-chan, apparently that place has great cakes." Kotori commented with an excited smile and Umi gulped nervously, hoping that her hand didn't turn clammy or sweaty.

"Is that so?" Umi asked and looked at the store, but another one caught her eye.

It was a cafe that Honoka claimed had the best cakes (including cheesecakes) in the world. She had insisted relentlessly for Umi to go there sometime, although Umi never understood why she told her and not Kotori. But now, it all came into place.

 _'Honoka, you infuriate me at times but thank you, you smart fool.'_ Umi inwardly praised as she tugged on Kotori's hand.

"Are you up for some dessert?" Umi inquired as she gestured towards the cafe and Kotori's eyes lit up brightly.

"Really, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked with an almost childish expression and Umi smiled warmly. She could write a 100 page essay on how adorable Kotori was. No, make it 1000 pages, single-spaced with 10-point font due by midnight that night.

"Of course. You deserve it." Umi spoke, but she accidentally said the last sentence out loud. She blushed lightly at her mistake but Kotori was unaffected. If anything, she became even more happy and once again, Umi felt a pair of lips on her face. This time, it was her cheek.

"You're so sweet, Umi-chan. I love that about you!" Kotori said with an affectionate smile, making Umi blush even more. "I'll make it up to you for sure!"

"Y-Yeah." Umi responded lamely before tugging Kotori's hand. "L-Let's go in now."

The bells rung when she and Kotori walked in, announcing their presence to the workers within. The cafe held a homey and comforting atmosphere as well as genuinely cheery employees, which was a rare but not unwelcoming surprise.

"Welcome to Eylstadt Cafe! How may I help you?" One of the workers greeted with a jovial smile. Umi was thankful that her eyes only grazed over her and Kotori before locking with hers politely; she was getting fed up with both her and Kotori's fans. They were getting immaturely aggressive nowadays.

"Just a table for two." Umi responded with a small smile and she nodded.

"Of course! Right this way." The worker said as she led Umi and Kotori to a table by the window.

"The name's Finé, by the way. Izetta will be your waitress for today, but here's the menus so you can browse while waiting for her." Finé explained with a pleasant smile while she set down the menus. She then pointed to a beautiful woman with red hair cleaning a table. After, she turned back to Umi and Kotori, shooting them a lighthearted smile in the process.

"I hope you enjoy your time here!" Finé bowed with a smile before leaving, making Umi hum thoughtfully.

"She's really nice, like the rest of this place." Umi commented and Kotori nodded with agreement.

"We should come over here often. It's usually hard to get service this good." Kotori added, noting how each worker greeted and served their customers jubilantly.

"What are you getting, Kotori?" Umi asked and Kotori stared at the menu with fierce concentration.

"I don't know if I should get a cheesecake or a crepe. Both look so good!" Kotori admitted with a sheepish smile and Umi chuckled.

"Why not the cheesecake? I thought it was your favorite." Umi teased lightly and Kotori gasped with mock-surprise.

"Umi-chan can tease others?" Kotori asked as if she had found out that she won the lottery, and she received a deadpan stare as a result. Kotori giggled playfully before continuing, "I suppose you're right. But what about you, Umi-chan?"

"I'll be fine." Umi replied offhandedly but Kotori pouted.

"That's no good! I'll feel bad if I'm the only one who gets something, especially because you paid for the last meal." Kotori said and she shot Umi her puppy eyes, making Umi sigh in defeat.

"Fine, fine." Umi responded as she looked at the menu. "But I really don't know what to get."

"How about you just share with me? That way we save some money too." Kotori suggested with a bright smile and Umi blushed lightly at the prospect of sharing a fork with Kotori.

 _'It's not weird. Friends do it all the time!'_ Umi thought as she tried to calm her beating heart for the millionth time that day.

"Alright, we can do that." Umi agreed and Kotori flashed her a wide smile, making her entire body become encompassed with warmth. If Umi walked out in the cold at that moment, she probably wouldn't have needed her sweater.

If only she had caught onto Honoka's subtle suggestion earlier.

"Good afternoon! My name is Izetta and I'm your waitress for today. Have the two of you gotten a chance to look through the menu or would you like to start off with some drinks?" Izetta greeted with a pleasant smile.

"We know what to order." Umi answered, returning her smile and Izetta nodded.

"What would you like to order today?"

"Just the regular flavored cheesecake." Umi answered and Izetta nodded as she wrote down the order.

"What would the two of you like to drink?" Izetta inquired.

"Water is fine." Umi replied and Kotori nodded.

"Same here."

"Okay. I'll be back with your water in just a moment!" Izetta said with a smile before leaving. True to her word, she had gotten Umi and Kotori their water quickly. She set both waters down and continued, "The cheesecakes should be out soon. Thank you for choosing our cafe today."

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Kotori commented with an ecstatic smile. "Everything comes so fast! And everyone is so nice and polite!"

"We should come here more often then." Umi remarked and was about to ask when she would like to come again but Kotori leaned over to tug at her sleeve, effectively stopping the words from coming out of her mouth.

"Umi-chan, look!" Kotori discreetly pointed towards the counter and Umi turned around.

Only to see Finé kiss their waitress.

On the lips.

In public.

 _'Shameless!'_ Umi inwardly screamed. _'In public, of all places!'_

She wasn't jealous. At all. Definitely not.

Okay so maybe she was jealous. Of their relationship of course. Not the whole public display of affection. That was too shameless for someone like Umi. College or not, she felt uncomfortable with things like that—holding hands was as far as she would go.

"Oh my god! That's so cute!" Kotori gushed and Umi tried to refrain herself from looking at her suspiciously.

From what Umi had gathered today, Kotori had no qualms about two girls dating. Rin and Hanayo were together for a couple weeks and she was extremely supportive for the two. Now that Nozomi and Eli were together, she was supportive of them as well.

 _'Does this mean I have a chance?'_ Umi thought as she stared at Kotori's twinkling eyes. Umi's eyes then drifted to her facial features, noting that there was some sort of longing within her expression. However, before Umi could think about it any further, their waitress came back with the food.

"Here's your cheesecake! I hope the two of you enjoy your food." Izetta announced when she came back, a dust of red painted on her cheeks. However, Kotori stopped her before she could leave. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh no. I just wanted to say that you and Finé-san look adorable together." Kotori commented with a warm smile, making Izetta blush hard to match her hair color.

"T-Thank you." Izetta replied with embarrassment before hastily leaving, making Kotori giggle with glee.

"Look, now she's angry at Finé-san." Kotori told Umi, who turned around and couldn't help but chuckle.

Finé was sheepishly smiling while Izetta seemed to be mad at her, although the pout on her face revealed otherwise. With an amused hum, Umi turned around and looked at Kotori, who was still distracted with the cafe's employees. Umi guessed she'll have to think about Kotori and her preferences later.

"Now, let's eat. I'm sure you've been craving this for a while now." Umi spoke, getting Kotori's attention in the process and chuckling lightly at how excited Kotori became.

Kotori beamed at the sight of her precious cheesecake. Her eyes, which were once filled with extreme interest and some sort of wistfulness, now held delight and hunger and her face morphed into that of anticipation and glee, no doubt because of the food before her. Her eyes sparked, her face glowed, her lips curled up into that of amusement—

Oh shit. Kotori definitely caught her staring.

Umi cleared her throat nervously and offered her a hesitant smile. "W-Would you like to take the first bite?"

Kotori laughed pleasantly, shaking her head as she leaned forward. She placed her hands on her cheek and gave her a cheeky smile.

"I was thinking you should take the first bite. After all, you're the one who's paying." Kotori responded before taking the fork and slicing the cheesecake. Umi looked at her questioningly but only put the pieces together when Kotori held the fork in front of her. "Now, say ah, Umi-chan!"

"K-Kotori, that's embarrassing!" Umi nervously replied but Kotori pouted.

"Mou, it's not really that embarrassing. I do it all the time with Honoka-chan and Hanayo-chan too! Now, ahh~" Kotori insisted and Umi couldn't even think about going against Kotori's wishes; she looked way too damn cute when she gave her the puppy eyes.

 _'Damn my weak resolve.'_ Umi thought as she opened her mouth, blushing lightly when Kotori fed her the cheesecake. However, when she ate the cheesecake, she hummed in amazement. _'Honoka was right. This are pretty good.'_

"How is it? How is it?" Kotori asked eagerly and Umi cracked a smile. How adorable could Kotori get? Never mind that answer; Umi didn't want to find out. She'll probably become even more gay (whipped) than she was right now.

"It's really good." Umi replied honestly and Kotori clapped with excitement.

"Oh! I can't wait!" Kotori smiled widely as she set the fork down, making Umi look at her weirdly. Kotori just smiled at her expectantly and Umi racked her head, trying to find out what Kotori wanted her to do.

"Um, aren't you going to eat it?" Umi decided to ask, which made Kotori pout once again.

"Well, yeah, but I was hoping you could feed me too." Kotori answered sheepishly, realizing now that her request was somewhat embarrassing. "Ah, but if you don't want to, it's fine."

 _'C'mon, Umi. Do it for her!'_ Umi inwardly encouraged herself and with a silent inhale, she gathered the courage to do so.

She moved her hand and picked up the fork, much to Kotori's surprise. She sliced a part of the cheesecake and brought it up to Kotori, who smiled fondly at her actions. Kotori then opened her mouth and Umi carefully fed her the food, and when Kotori was finished swallowing, she hummed in delight.

"Thank you Umi-chan! I never would've thought that you would do that." Kotori sighed contently, continuing as bliss encompassed her face, "Wow, this cheesecake is definitely the best I have eaten."

 _'Once again, I thank you, Honoka.'_ Umi thought as she smiled at how happy Kotori was.

"It's your turn again, Umi-chan!" Kotori exclaimed, breaking Umi out of her trance. With a blush, she opened her mouth and Kotori fed her.

They continued this method of eating and Umi eventually became used to it. It helped that Kotori never mentioned how awkward she seemed and instead talked about the many things that were happening, such as Nozomi and Eli's relationship, Anju's fight with Erena, and most importantly, Tsubasa.

"She seems to be hanging out with Honoka a lot lately." Umi brought up with a slight frown, thinking about all the times she had heard about Honoka hanging out with Tsubasa. "It's a bit...suspicious."

"But Tsubasa-san is so charming and polite. I sort of understand why Honoka would want to hang out with her." Kotori replied and added when she saw Umi's frown grow deeper, "Ah, but you're the most charming and polite of them all in my eyes, Umi-chan."

Umi blushed heavily at the compliment and her mind blanked momentarily before she got ahold of herself and shook her head. As a result of talking about Honoka, her stern demeanor naturally arose. Her eyes hardened, her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. With a small sigh, she began to talk.

"We don't know her too well. For all we know, she could have an ulterior motive."

"She has no reason to want to do anything wrong to Honoka-chan."

"Maybe Honoka did something that pissed her off in the past."

"I doubt that she would be that petty, or petty at all."

"You never know a person."

"It sounds to me like you don't want to let Honoka-chan go."

"That's not how this is."

Umi's lips curled further down when Kotori giggled lightly, and she wondered what was funny. They were having a serious conversation, after all.

"You really sound just like an overprotective father, Umi-chan." Kotori noted, trying to stop herself from smiling widely but failing remarkably. Umi blushed lightly and averted eye contact, not willing to accept the statement. However, Kotori just laughed again, which in turn made Umi look at her.

"Let's see. If you're the dad, then should I be the mom?" Kotori wondered aloud, making Umi's face become as red as Maki's hair. Despite the fact that Umi was extremely embarrassed, Kotori didn't stop there. She leaned in, grabbed Umi's hand, and gently pulled her closer so she could whisper into her ear, "How about another child, my dear?"

Umi could literally feel the steam rising above her head and couldn't help but stutter miserably, "I-I, w-we, we can't! W-We're too young for that!"

"So after college is fine?" Kotori teased further before stopping, giggling all the while. She put her hands up in defense as she said, "Okay, okay, I'm done. No more for today."

Umi sighed with relief and drank water to cool her nerves, wondering how Kotori could be so mischievous. It was probably Nozomi's fault. Everything was usually Nozomi's fault somehow.

However, when she set down her glass of water, Kotori wasn't in front of her anymore. She was beside her and had her hands wrapped around her arm.

"I'm sorry for teasing you too much. Forgive me?" Kotori asked with her puppy eyes and Umi's heart melted right then and there.

"You don't need to ask for forgiveness. You didn't mean it and it was just for fun after all." Umi responded, smiling when Kotori beamed at her. Kotori promptly laid her head on her shoulder, and the moment would have been perfect if the topic of their conversation hadn't walked in.

"Ah, Honoka! Nice seeing you again." Umi heard Finé greet, "It's nice to see you too, Tsubasa."

Umi's head twisted fast enough that Kotori thought she broke it. With a pout, Kotori poked Umi's cheek but when she wouldn't pay attention to her, Kotori gently forced her to look at her.

"Umi-chan..." Kotori said with a warning tone and Umi swallowed nervously; that meant trouble. As a result, she backed down and crossed her arms, allowing Kotori to lay her head on her shoulder once again.

"I know, I know." Umi relented with a sigh and was about to say more when Honoka interrupted.

"Woah, Umi-chan! And Kotori-chan! Awesome seeing you two here!" Honoka greeted with a wide grin, making Kotori turn her head and giggle. However, her smile turned sly and she directed her eyes at Umi. "I see you took my advice."

"Yes I did. Thank you." Umi responded mechanically as she stared at Tsubasa, who smiled politely.

"It's nice to see you again, Umi-san, Kotori-san." Tsubasa greeted with a slight bow and Kotori waved her off.

"Please, no need for formalities, especially after yesterday." Kotori replied with a pleasant smile, nudging Umi when she didn't say anything.

"Yes, no need for formalities." Umi reiterated stiffly and Honoka laughed.

"Stiff as ever, Umi-chan." Honoka commented and Umi bit back a sigh.

"What are the two of you doing here?" Umi asked, although she did her best to not sound accusing. She failed somewhat, considering the stare she was getting from Kotori.

"Ah, Honoka said she wasn't feeling too well when she woke up this morning so I took her out on a date. They usually clear her mind and cheer her up." Tsubasa casually responded with a small smile and Umi hummed thoughtfully.

"I see." Umi said and looked at Kotori, who was excited for some reason. Why was she excited? Did she say something weird—

—Wait.

Tsubasa said _what_?

"A date?" Umi asked, trying to hold back from looking at Tsubasa suspiciously. It didn't work because Kotori shot her another warning glance while Honoka laughed and held Tsubasa's arm.

"Yeah, we're dating!" Honoka exclaimed cheerfully and Kotori clapped her hands excitedly.

"I love watching my ships sail!" Kotori exclaimed and Tsubasa smiled sheepishly. On the other hand, Umi was confused. Kotori used that statement before, but there were no ships in that situation either. Was she missing something?

"There's no ship here though." Umi said as she looked around, hoping that someone would clear up her confusion.

"It's an expression, Umi-chan." Honoka responded with a giggle, making Umi sigh.

"The two of you with all of your expressions and slang." Umi grumbled as she shook her head before locking eyes with Tsubasa, "The two of you are dating, yes?"

"Yes." Tsubasa answered politely, as if she was talking to royalty. Umi thought about what to say before solidifying her decision. If Kotori got mad at her for doing this now, then so be it. She just wanted to clear up some things, especially because she had promised Honoka's mom that she would look after her.

"Will you keep her on track with her studies?" Umi asked sternly and Tsubasa nodded.

"I will do my best."

"Will you take care of her?"

"To the best of my ability."

"Will you spoil her?"

"Only when she has given me a good reason to do so."

Umi hummed thoughtfully, ignoring Honoka's pout and Kotori's deadpan stare. She then sighed and shook her head, wondering why she was holding back in the first place.

Tsubasa really was a good person for Honoka; she didn't seem to be an enabler after all. Umi had seen changes with Honoka's behavior as of late, most notably her productivity and tendencies to prank, and wondered what had happened. It surprised her that it took her a while to figure out that the reason was standing right before her.

"Alright. I approve." Umi stated, specifically remembering that Honoka's mother had given her the authority to approve of Honoka's partner in case she wasn't there. However, Honoka started laughing once again, making Umi look at her questioningly. "What's so funny?"

"You act as if you're my mom—" Honoka started with a giggle and Umi looked at her confusedly.

"—well I did promise your mother—" Umi interrupted with a slight frown.

"—but let Nozomi off easily." Honoka continued, ignoring how Umi frowned even more as a result of being ignored. With a wide grin, she exclaimed, "Also, you approved yesterday!"

Honoka's grin turned devious when she pulled out her phone and Umi quickly put the pieces together, deciding that no, she would not watch the video.

Umi could already guess that the video Honoka wanted to show her would make her want to dig a hole in the ground and crawl in it. If Kotori wasn't next to her, she might have watched it but even then, she didn't want to have another embarrassing moment to think about during the nights she couldn't sleep. In fact, Umi didn't understand how Honoka was able to get such shameful pictures and videos of her because of how she was always laughing boisterously and acting rambunctiously. It made her wonder how she had the time and precision to sneak a picture, much less a video.

"No thank you. Kotori and I need to leave soon." Umi spoke as she turned down Honoka's phone, making her frown and groan.

"Aw, Umi-chan, you party pooper." Honoka pouted, which made Tsubasa smile with amusement.

"Maybe next time, Honoka. We should be fast with our lunch today because Erena wants to talk to me about Anju for dinner." Tsubasa spoke up, patting her head comfortingly and smiling even more when Honoka brightened up.

"Okay! See you at home, Kotori-chan! Oh, and I'll see you tomorrow, Umi-chan!" Honoka exclaimed with a wide grin filled with so much life that Umi had to smile back. Honoka's smiles could be so contagious sometimes.

"See you later, Honoka-chan." Kotori said goodbye with a cheerful smile but before she got up, she added, "Thanks for choosing my outfit for today."

"Of course." Honoka grinned as she winked and Umi said her goodbyes as well—

—Wait why did Honoka wink? And why was Kotori smiling so mischievously?

Before Honoka left, she shot Umi another devious grin and Umi finally understood.

 _'Honoka, you truly are one smart fool.'_ Umi thought as she shook her head, making Kotori look at her with slight concern.

"Is something wrong?" Kotori asked and Umi shook her head once again.

"Nothing." Umi answered as she eyed Kotori's hoodie, now understanding its true function but not the motive, before raising her hand to get their waitress's attention, "Do you want to do anything after I pay?"

Kotori hummed thoughtfully and sipped on her water, thinking about all the things that they could do. With a small smile, she answered, "Can we continue walking around for a bit?"

"Okay." Umi agreed and shot Izetta a smile when she came over. Once Umi paid for their meal, she and Kotori said their farewells to the staff and left.

They continued walking around, looking at the various Halloween decorations and commenting on them. They had resumed their earlier position with Kotori resting her head on Umi's shoulder while Umi held her hand. Every time a particularly cold breeze would rush by, Umi would instinctively bring Kotori closer to her.

 _'Why is it so windy today?'_ Umi thought before inwardly shaking her head, _'Well, it doesn't matter as long as I can stay like this with Kotori.'_

She had to admit that she had never felt so relaxed before. Not even her meditation could make her feel this content, especially with midterms coming up. She felt so liberated and free, as if she could live the rest of her life idly with Kotori.

Idle was not a part of Umi's dictionary. In fact, her lifestyle consisted of the exact opposite: productivity. Kotori had that much of an effect on her but it wasn't necessarily a terrible one, Umi decided.

At some point, they came upon one of the more busier areas. There were some children running around and playing, making Umi wonder where their mothers were. They were so engrossed with each other that one of them bumped into Umi hard enough that the child fell back.

"Are you okay?" Umi asked, looking at her with a small frown before realizing that she probably looked too intimidating. With a soft smile, she added, "Here, let me help you up."

Umi held her hand out and the child took it with a sheepish smile. She then bowed and exclaimed, "I'm sorry for not watching where I was going!"

The child peeked her head up shyly yet shifted her weight from one foot to the other restlessly. Umi chuckled warmly at how energetic she was and ruffled her hair, "Don't worry about it; just make sure you look where you're going next time. Now, go run off before your friends leave you."

The girl jumped with surprise and looked over to her friends, realizing that they were running away. With a grateful smile, she bounded off, yelling playful insults at them.

The smile never left Umi's face. The girl had reminded her of Rin so much. Umi remembered the time when Rin had done the same thing to her weeks after they had met. Both Rin and the child were both so full of energy that even their apologies were lively.

It was only when Kotori tugged at her arm that Umi snapped back to reality. With a light blush, she continued walking again.

"You're so good with children, Umi-chan." Kotori commented with a small smile, making Umi chuckle a bit.

"Not really. She just reminded me of Rin. The way those two act are so similar that it brings back some memories of the past." Umi responded with a small smile and Kotori's smile grew wider.

"I think that's adorable." Kotori gushed and Umi's blush darkened.

"You think so?" Umi asked hesitantly and Kotori giggled.

"I think everything about Umi-chan is adorable!" Kotori responded with a cheeky smile and Umi felt like it wasn't winter, but spring. She felt as if an invigorating breeze flowed into her body and washed all of her stress away. It made her feel alive. However, before she could reply, something caught her eye.

Something extremely unusual and interestingly unsettling.

"Kotori, isn't that Nico over there?" Umi inquired as she discreetly pointed at a coffee shop and Kotori gasped.

"It is!" Kotori confirmed with slight disbelief. "Why is she with Erika-san?"

Umi couldn't understand herself. She couldn't believe what she was seeing with her own two eyes. That is, until she thought about it some more.

Erika was known to have a peculiar obsession with Nico and Nico knew that herself too. However, Umi knew they weren't on a date because of the papers scattered on the desk. Nico also looked uncharacteristically serious and was clearly avoiding her advances. And so, Umi concluded that Nico was either tutoring her or she was paired up with her for a project of some sort. Erika wasn't too annoying despite her creepy personality.

"They're probably studying or working on a project." Umi told Kotori, who then nodded in understanding.

"Hopefully Maki-chan doesn't see this." Kotori commented a nervous smile. "She'll freak out first and not think about the situation at all."

Unfortunately, Kotori spoke too soon.

Maki, who was coincidentally on the street that the cafe was on and talking to someone on her phone, saw Nico. Umi could see the disbelief settle in before it turned into fury. She ended the call, took long strides towards the cafe, and opened the door, completely ignoring how everyone looked at her.

Umi saw Maki try to calm herself down as she talked to Nico but Erika kept on smirking, which in turn made Maki more irritated. Erika then said something to Maki, which broke her calm facade. Maki yelled something at Nico before leaving the cafe and stomping away, prompting Nico to chase after her.

"What the hell is your problem?" Nico asked as she grabbed Maki's arm and turned her around.

"You told me you were going to tutor someone, not go on a date with them!" Maki responded angrily, which made Nico look at her with confusion.

"But I'm not on a date with her." Nico protested and Maki raised her eyebrow.

"Do you even know what a date is, Yazawa?" Maki bit back and Nico huffed, obviously irritated at the question.

"Of course I do, you twat. I'm older than you." Nico replied with a glare and Maki glared back at her.

"Then you know that it's a date if someone paid for the meal, especially if there's flirting involved." Maki bit back before growling, "Now let go of me."

"No." Nico refused adamantly and Umi saw her grip become tighter on Maki. When Maki resisted even more, she became more agitated and with a frustrated sigh, she asked, "So what if I was on a date with her? Why are you even angry?"

Oh no.

 _'Nico, you should know that Maki's going to react terribly to that by now.'_ Umi thought with a disapproving look. She had gotten closer to the redhead recently and even she knew that word choice was important when talking to her otherwise she might understand something completely different. On the other hand, it seemed like Nico knew what she had said was wrong, considering how her face was immediately filled with regret.

"Maki, wait, no, I—"

"—Nico-chan, no."

It was too late, and Maki took the words to heart. She shot Nico a bitter look and stopped fighting back, seeming to lose energy in general. Nico let go of her with confusion.

Umi couldn't understand what Maki said after because she seemed to whisper it before running off. Nico also seemed to not understand what Maki had said, considering how she still looked confused. However, she knew she had messed up and groaned loudly, cursing as she ran her hands through her hair. She pulled her phone out and called someone, most likely Maki from the way her face fell when the person didn't pick up. She tried again but the person still didn't pick up so she pocketed her phone, sighing as she rubbed her eyes. With one last glance to where Maki had run off, she trudged back into the cafe.

"Should we do something?" Kotori asked with concern and Umi hesitated.

What should she do in this situation? Should she chase after Maki and try to talk to her despite both of their tendencies to be awkward? Or should she try to calm down Nico, who seemed to be angry enough to punch someone in the face?

With a light sigh, she tried to think about it some more. Those two probably wouldn't believe her if she had told them of their affections for one another. They probably wouldn't even open up to her if she tried to talk to them at all. This sounded like a job for Nozomi and Eli, although Umi doubted that the two would have success in getting either Maki or Nico to come to their senses. Those two were way too stubborn for their own good.

"There isn't anything we can do in this situation. This is between Maki and Nico." Umi responded carefully and Kotori frowned slightly. Not wanting to ruin her mood, Umi tugged at her hand and led her towards the car. "We should head back now, but I'll call Nozomi and Eli to tell them what happened."

"Alright." Kotori sighed, looking behind only to see Nico waving Erika off and packing her things.

Umi racked her head, trying to think of something that would cheer Kotori up. She knew that Kotori cared deeply for her friends, so Umi decided to talk about that.

"Isn't it weird that all of our friends are dating each other?" Umi brought up but winced when she realized that they had just seen Maki and Nico have what seemed to be their worst fight. With a hopeful tone, she continued, "Well, I'm sure Nozomi and Eli will do something about Maki and Nico, especially after that fight we saw earlier."

"That is true." Kotori agreed, a small smile forming on her face when she recognized Umi's terrible but endearing attempts to cheer her up, "There's also the Halloween party that Nico-chan is throwing at Watanabe-san's place this weekend. There should be plenty of opportunities for those two to make up there if they haven't by then."

"Ah, right. I forgot about that party." Umi spoke as she mindlessly pulled Kotori closer when a gust of wind passed by. Kotori smiled affectionately and snuggled into Umi more, which made her realize what she just did and how close they were. Umi felt her cheeks heat up considerably and tried to act neutral, although if there was snow on Umi's cheeks, it would melt in an instant.

"You should come Umi-chan!" Kotori exclaimed and Umi hummed noncommittally, still trying to play it cool. She prayed that her hands weren't becoming clammy or that her face wasn't too red.

"Sure. If that means I get to keep an eye on all of our friends. Who knows what shameless atrocities they would commit when under the influence." Umi responded seriously, deciding to focus on something else in order to ignore how nervous she felt.

"It seems like you're jealous of their relationships, Umi-chan." Kotori teased, making Umi blush heavily. At this, Kotori gasped and leaned in, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Oh, so you do like someone?"

Umi sputtered, moving away as she averted her eyes and protested, "W-What? A-As if I have time for that."

"Ehh? You really don't?" Kotori pouted, making Umi swallow nervously. Did Kotori know even know how much of an effect she had on her? Probably not. Hopefully not. Otherwise, Umi would find herself doing things she would never do.

"I mean, maybe I do." Umi answered quietly, but not enough for her statement to slip past Kotori's ears.

"So you do!" Kotori reiterated with a wide smile and Umi frowned. Why was she so happy about it?

"So what if I do?" Umi challenged with a raised eyebrow, making Kotori giggle.

"Well, I want to know, of course! Although, I do have my own suspicions on who it is..." Kotori smiled mischievously and Umi blushed.

Did Kotori really know? But if she knew that she liked her, then wouldn't she react differently? The only reason why she could be so happy was if she liked her back, and Umi didn't want to consider that because she was afraid of getting her hopes up only to become crushed.

However, her parents taught her to be strong, confident, and calm in all situations. Umi was going to find out sooner or later if Kotori liked someone anyways so she might as well as find out now before the stress of midterms took over her mind.

 _'It's all or nothing.'_ Umi thought inwardly as she balled her fists.

She pulled Kotori over to the side and stopped walking, making Kotori look at her with confusion. Umi exhaled silently and steeled her nerves, looking at Kotori straight in the eyes.

"Kotori, the one I like is," Umi spoke softly, pausing slightly as she saw the clouds emit from her mouth as a result of the weather. As cold as it was, it was calming. It was like she was getting rid of the heavy burden she had been carrying for a year with every word she spoke. With a hesitant smile, she finished, "you."

Umi prepared herself for the onslaught of rejection, for phrases and words containing "I'm sorry" and "friends". However, she received none of those.

What she had gotten was the complete opposite.

"Oh, Umi-chan, I thought you would say that!" Kotori exclaimed with a cheerful smile as she hugged her, resting her head on her crevice of her neck as she continued, "Ever since last night, I knew that you liked me. I was just going to wait until you were ready to tell me."

"W-What happened last night?" Umi asked anxiously as she gently pulled Kotori away, making Kotori laugh lightly.

"Many things, Umi-chan, many things." Kotori answered vaguely with a devious smile, making Umi shiver. But before Umi could even open her mouth, Kotori continued, "Do you remember that I have yet to give you a reward?"

Umi looked at her curiously and tried to think. When she finally recalled the scene, or well pieces of it, she blushed heavily. She ignored how embarrassed she felt and chose to focus on answering the question, nodding slowly. Kotori giggled lightly and leaned in, making Umi freeze.

"It's in the car." Kotori whispered into her ear, jolting Umi out of her trance. She frowned when Kotori skipped ahead, giggling at her with a teasing smile.

 _'Is this deja vu?'_ Umi thought as she recalled her dream. If it was, she wasn't going to let Kotori catch her off guard. This time, she would be the one to surprise her so before Kotori could get too far, Umi grabbed ahold of her hand and gently pulled her closer.

"I can't have my girlfriend freezing to death." Umi simply stated, a rosy blush on her cheeks when she heard Kotori's small gasp.

"Who knew Umi-chan could be such a romantic?" Kotori lightly teased, making Umi huff.

"I'm sure you know the reason why." Umi replied, tugging Kotori closer when she felt the breeze become colder. It looked like nature was on Umi's side today.

"You know, I'm surprised you never caught on to my feelings." Kotori brought up, making Umi look at her curiously. With a small smile, she continued, "I mean, every time we would go out, I always say things I love about you and then you would tell me about the things you like about me. We switch up on who pays and usually hold hands after so technically, we've gone on several dates."

Umi felt her cheeks warm up at the revelation but frowned. Kotori looked at her with concern, wondering why her mood had changed all of a sudden.

"Umi-chan?" Kotori asked softly, breaking Umi out of her thoughts. Umi made sure that they were behind the car before she stopped walking and faced towards Kotori, holding both of her hands.

"Since I really want this to work out, I want to do this properly." Umi spoke after a while. She gathered enough courage to look Kotori in the eyes and continued, "So, after midterms, would you like to go on a real date with me?"

When Kotori looked at her with tears in her eyes, Umi's first reaction was to bring her closer and wipe them away, which made Kotori laugh.

"Umi-chan, you're too good for me." Kotori said with a sniffle.

"Don't say that." Umi whispered as she wiped a tear away. "No one is too good for the other. I'm sure you mean as much to me as I mean to you."

"I—you're right. What was I thinking?" Kotori responded with a light laugh, leaning into Umi's embrace. "Sometimes I feel insignificant though. You're Sonoda Umi—you've got amazing grades and looks while I'm just Minami Kotori. All I can do—"

"—is design some of the most amazing outfits I've ever seen." Umi interrupted with a slight frown, "Don't put yourself down, Kotori. You're beautiful, inside and out." Umi smiled softly as she brushed a stray hair behind Kotori's ear, "It's one of the aspects I love about you. You're kind to everyone regardless of their status or appearance."

"Umi-chan..." Kotori whispered with a small gasp before resting her head on her shoulder in embarrassment. "Thank you."

"No problem." Umi responded, smiling softly as she rubbed her back comfortingly. "We should get going now."

As much as she hated to do so, she ended her embrace with Kotori. She gave her a soft smile before unlocking the car and getting into the driver's seat. Once she made sure that Kotori had her seatbelt on, she turned the car on and put on the heater. However, she felt like she was forgetting something. With a thoughtful hum, she checked her pockets, making Kotori look at her curiously.

"Is something wrong, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked and Umi shook her head with a reassuring smile.

"No, but I feel like I'm forgetting something." Umi answered, making Kotori gasp again. This time, Umi looked at her inquisitively, inquiring, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, I almost forgot to give you your reward." Kotori said with a warm smile, making Umi blush once again.

"What is it?" Umi asked and Kotori's smile widened.

"This."

Once again, Umi felt a soft sensation on her face but this time, it was (finally) on her lips. It ended as quickly as it had started, but that didn't matter to Umi because she was still frozen with shock.

It was only when she heard Kotori's giggles that she snapped back to reality. She blushed heavily and put the car in reverse, beginning the drive to where Kotori lived. But before she took her foot off of the pedal, she leaned over and snuck a kiss from Kotori, who put her hand over her mouth in surprise. Umi smirked slightly at that—two could play this game of surprise.

Needless to say, the drive back home was filled with many welcome surprises.

* * *

By the time Umi had gotten home (surprisingly in one piece considering how distracted she was), the news about Nico's supposed date with Erika as well as her fight with Maki had already spread. When it had gotten to Rin, she became very worried. Since she was close friends with both Maki and Nico, she knew that they would be too stubborn to try to see things from another point of view. She also didn't want to take any sides because she didn't want to make it seem like she favored one over the other. Not only that, both Eli and Nozomi looked troubled and while Eli was more inclined to become anxious, Nozomi wasn't. Nozomi was the type to hide her troubles and the fact that she was visibly worried spoke volumes to Rin.

"This is probably their worst fight yet." Eli said as she bit her lip. She checked her phone for the nth time that day before giving up and sighing. "I don't think they'll make up quickly like usual this time around."

"I'm going to go find Nicocchi." Nozomi announced with a seemingly calm smile, although her eyes expressed her uneasiness.

"I'll go look for Maki—" Eli brought up as she made a move to stand up but Nozomi shook her head, interrupting her.

"Maki-chan will probably shut you out because we're dating and Nicocchi is my best friend." Nozomi brought up, making Eli frown. Not wanting Eli to feel guilty, Nozomi kissed her cheek and continued, "Don't feel bad Elichi. You how Maki-chan is."

Rin bit her lip at how anxious her upperclassmen looked. Thankfully, Hanayo was sleeping so she hadn't heard just yet. Still, Rin knew that she would become worried because she was also close to Maki and Nico. The four of them tried to hang out at least once a week, and she and Hanayo often frequented Nico's workplace for their dates, after all.

At seeing Eli's hesitation, Rin thought about what she could do. She knew that Maki needed someone now more than ever, but could she really make a difference? Would Maki even bother listening if she tried to give her advice? Most importantly, would she even take her seriously?

 _'There's no harm in trying, nya.'_ Rin thought determinedly. _'Maki-chan is most likely sad right now and she needs someone to cheer her up. That's what friends are for, nya!'_

"I know how Maki is, Nozomi, but—" Eli started.

"—I'll talk to her." Rin interrupted and Nozomi smiled knowingly, as if she knew what Rin would do. Eli looked at her and seemed to have an inner debate but shook her head.

"Thanks, Rin. Be careful of what you say though, she's probably vulnerable right now." Eli thanked as she shot her a grateful smile and Rin nodded.

"Thank you, Rin-chan." Nozomi said as walked over to Rin and petted her head, making Rin purr softly. "Don't worry, I'll think of something for those two tsunderes."

"Nozomi." Umi warned and Nozomi giggled despite the serious atmosphere.

"I know, Umi-chan. I'm not going to play around this time since this is a serious matter." Nozomi replied with a wink as she shot Rin a knowing look. Rin could already feel her spirits lifting; Nozomi always knew what to do to ease the tension. She then looked over to Eli and asked, "Do you want to come along?"

"Yeah. I'll try to talk some sense into Nico at the very least." Eli said with a light sigh. She then directed her attention to Rin and Umi, "I'll see you two some other time. Try not to think too much about those two since we still have midterms to worry about."

After Nozomi and Eli said their goodbyes and left, Rin decided to wake up Hanayo. She looked down at her lap and couldn't help but smile and momentarily forget about what had happened.

Hanayo was sleeping so peacefully. She seemed to be having a good dream considering how she had a small smile on her face. She was just so cute that Rin had to pet her, and when Rin lightly touched her cheek, she pushed against her hand and softly whispered her name, making Rin smile and blush lightly. However, she immediately remembered what had happened between Maki and Nico and that Hanayo would probably feel down after hearing about it.

 _'I can't go back, nya! I need to wake up Kayo-chin and tell her about what happened, even if it makes her sad.'_ Rin thought with determination.

"Rin, I'll be in the room." Umi spoke, knowing that Rin was going to break the news to Hanayo. "Remember what Eli said."

"I know." Rin affirmed with a small smile to which Umi sent her one of her own. Once Umi left to give her some privacy with Hanayo, she lightly shook her.

"Kayo-chin, wake up." Rin whispered and Hanayo stirred. She opened one eye and yawned, making Rin smile at how cute she was. When she was finally awake, Rin felt her smile falter but continued, "I need to tell you something important."

"Eh? What's wrong Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked as she sat up straight and Rin held her hand, squeezing it comfortingly before letting go.

"W-Well," Rin started with a nervous smile, "Nico-chan supposedly had a date with Erika-baka and then Maki-chan walked in on it. She and Nico-chan basically had a huge fight about that and now they're super mad at each to her."

"E-Eh?! That sounds bad." Hanayo commented with concern and Rin nodded. "Oh no, Maki-chan must think that Nico-chan doesn't like her and Nico-chan must be frustrated right now."

"Yeah, Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan are gonna try to talk some sense into Nico-chan." Rin added with a hopeful smile and Hanayo frowned.

"What about Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly and Rin grinned comfortingly.

"It's our job to get through that thick skull of hers, nya! She's our best friend and she's hurting. Nothing a little talking can do!" Rin answered optimistically, making Hanayo smile.

"I hope Maki-chan isn't too sad. I sort of wish that she could see that Nico-chan likes her back." Hanayo said as she nervously twiddled with her hands, making Rin reach out and hold them once again.

"Don't worry Kayo-chin! We'll get Maki-chan to see that Nico-chan likes her back, nya! Nozomi-chan said she'll come up with a plan." Rin reassured and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks, Rin-chan." Hanayo replied with a small smile, giving Rin a kiss on the cheek before returning the hug.

"Of course." Rin responded with a bright smile before pulling away, "Now let's go find that dumb tomato, nya!"

It wasn't too hard to find Maki. She was usually at the cafe Nico worked at (for reasons the redhead thought weren't obvious), the university's library in the science section, or the park nearby. Maki would most definitely not go to Nico's workplace and would probably avoid anyone from school so she was most likely at the park.

Well, Rin also had her on the Find My Friends App (for harmless pranks, of course) and just like she thought, Maki was at the park.

Once Rin located Maki, she and Hanayo left and walked there as fast as they could. They knew her favorite spot was the bench nearby the fountain because of the how the stars reflected on the water. Once they had gotten there, they weren't surprised to see Maki staring blankly at the fountain.

With a comforting squeeze to Hanayo's hand, Rin started walking toward Maki, stopping to plop down next to her. She let go of Hanayo's hand since then so Hanayo could sit on Maki's other side.

"Heya Maki-chan." Rin greeted amiably but Maki kept quiet, choosing to keep her eyes on the water. Rin shared a worried look with Hanayo and lightly nudged her. "Wanna talk about it, nya?"

Maki broke her staring contest with the lake to make eye contact with Rin, who saw nothing but emptiness. It made Rin feel sad and want to cheer her up even more. A Maki that wasn't a sarcastic ass wasn't a Maki in Rin's eyes.

"Maki-chan, you'll feel better when you talk about it." Hanayo spoke softly and Maki finally blinked, making Rin release a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Maki looked so emotionless that it scared Rin.

"I'm so stupid." Maki mumbled after a while, leaning forward and putting her hands over her face.

"Why's that, nya?" Rin asked and Maki set her hands down, the frown still plastered on her face.

"I let my emotions get the better of me." Maki answered simply. "I was so angry that she lied to me that I did things I shouldn't have done."

"That's not being stupid, Maki-chan. It's just a normal reaction." Hanayo comforted with a small smile. "If I found out that someone destroyed my idol collection, I feel like I'd lose control as well."

"What happened exactly, nya?" Rin asked carefully and Maki sighed.

"Mai called me. Said she saw Nico-chan and...Erika at a cafe together. Nico-chan told me she was going to tutor someone so I was reluctant to check it out at first since she isn't the type to lie." Maki started and sighed again. She ran her fingers through her hair and continued, "But then Mai told me Erika was flirting with Nico-chan and Nico-chan didn't seem to mind. Naturally, I didn't believe her so I went to check. I called Mai to make sure that I was at the right place and, well, it went downhill from that."

"What happened?" Hanayo asked timidly and Maki sighed once again.

"I walked in and asked what Nico-chan was doing. Erika kept on smirking and it was annoying and then she thanked Nico for being such a great person for paying for her food and started flirting with her. She was all over her and Nico-chan didn't seem to react and I couldn't take it so I called Nico-chan a liar and left but Nico-chan stopped me before I could leave. She asked what was wrong with me and I told her I was angry because she lied to me about tutoring someone. And then there was the whole blowout about dating and she basically implied that she was on a date with her."

"Nya? What'd she say, Maki-chan?" Rin asked curiously albeit confusedly.

"'So what if I was on a date with her? Why are you even angry?' is what she said." Maki answered and her frown seemed to be eternally stuck on her face. "Why am I angry? Tch. And here I thought we were getting better too."

Rin inwardly banged her head on an imaginary wall once she heard Nico's choice of words, knowing now why Maki had reacted so badly. But now that she knew what had happened, how could she comfort her without making Nico look like the bad guy? Rin looked at Hanayo for help and she shot her a nervous smile.

"Well, Maki-chan, don't be too sad, nya." Rin started and Maki gave her a pointed look.

"I'm not sad. Are you trying to imply something?" Maki replied and Rin started to sweat nervously.

"N-No, I meant mad. Don't be too mad." Rin corrected with a sheepish smile. "I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding, nya. Erika-baka is known for barking a lot."

"I know, but..." Maki started but trailed off, prompting Hanayo to speak up.

"But what, Maki-chan?"

"I don't know how to describe it." Maki simply stated and Rin moved closer to hold her hand.

"Try to, nya. I'm sure me and Kayo-chin will understand." Rin said with a comforting smile and Hanayo moved closer, holding Maki's other hand as well. Maki didn't seem to mind the contact and just sighed once again.

"I'm angry for sure. When I thought that she lied to me, I was skeptical at first. But when I saw Erika smirking and talking about how wonderful Nico was for paying for her and being nice to her, I just felt so annoyed and irritated and—"

"—Jealous." Hanayo finished softly, making Maki blink in surprise. Rin would've laughed at how her eyes widened so much if it weren't for the serious conversation they were having.

"I-I'm not jealous!" Maki protested, letting go of their hands and crossing her arms as she avoided their eyes.

"Weren't you more angry at how Erika-san was acting around Nico-chan rather than Nico-chan herself?" Hanayo asked and Maki froze. Hanayo then began to explain, "From the way you were talking, it seems like you trust Nico-chan but when Erika-san got into the picture, you lost control."

"So basically you wouldn't have gotten so angry if Erika-baka stopped barking." Rin summarized simply and Maki's eyes widened in realization. She groaned, leaning forward to put her hands on her head.

"I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I didn't know what I was feeling and believed Erika for a moment there."

"Don't say that, Maki-chan. Not everyone can see through lies or understand what certain feelings are." Hanayo comforted and Rin nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, nya! Just like how Umi-chan doesn't understand what the difference is between flirting and compliments."

"And the next time you see her, I'm sure you two can make up."

"Just do your tsundere-like apology and I'm sure Nico-chan will accept it, nya!"

"I'm sure Nico-chan isn't dating anyone at the moment so she wasn't lying to you. Even then, I'm sure she'll tell you first since you two are best friends."

"Yeah, nya! Mai-chan probably freaked out first cause she's pretty new to social stuff since she's been homeschooled almost all her life and—"

"—Rin. Hanayo." Maki interrupted, making the two stop talking. Rin's heart stopped and she felt anxious; did she and Hanayo go overboard? However, when Maki shot them both a small smile, Rin grinned in relief.

"Thank you. The both of you. For helping me sort out my feelings and all that." Maki said softly as she averted her eyes and blushed, making Rin and Hanayo giggle.

"Of course, nya! We're always here for you." Rin responded brightly, moving closer to rub her face against Maki's. She pulled away after a couple moments, knowing that Maki wasn't one for close contact.

"Will you talk to Nico-chan about it soon?" Hanayo asked and Maki bit her lip, shaking her head as she nervously played with her hands.

"I, I don't think I'm ready to talk to her." Maki explained hesitantly. "I mean, if I tell her that I was angry because I was jealous, then that would be weird. We're just friends, after all."

"Why don't you confess to her?" Hanayo inquired and Rin inwardly sighed in relief. She was going to treat Hanayo out to the most expensive restaurant she could afford for asking all the big questions. Rin could never do that. She's rather be the comic relief.

"And ruin what we have now?" Maki responded, making Hanayo frown slightly.

"She's going to know sooner or later Maki-chan." Hanayo said with a gentle voice, much like the voice of a parent talking to a child. Was this how Hanayo would sound like if she were a teacher? Rin liked it; it was calming. "And what if she liked you back? There could have been days, weeks, maybe even years that the two of you could have spent time together as lovers, not as friends."

"I," Maki started before inhaling deeply and sighing, "I guess you're right. But I can't tell her just yet. I'm not ready."

"Of course, Maki-chan. We still have midterms to worry about so take all the time that you need."

"But not too much time, nya! Nico-chan's already a third year so time's runnin out." Rin spoke up and Maki cracked a small smile.

"I know, I know." Maki replied, moving closer to Rin to lightly chop her head. Rin pouted before getting excited again.

"Does this mean you'll go to the party this weekend?" Rin asked with a grin and Maki shrugged, twirling her hair out of nervousness.

"I doubt I would be able to talk to Nico-chan there."

"I heard You-san's beach house is huge though. Just drink a little to calm your nerves and then bring her into one of the rooms, nya!" Rin exclaimed before wagging her eyebrows, "Who knows? Maybe Maki-chan'll get some—Ow! That hurt!"

"Shut it, Rin." Maki scowled, her face red as she brought her hand back down to her lap, "Why are you guys even supporting me and Nico-chan together?"

"Better Nico-chan than someone else." Hanayo answered and Rin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I mean, we know her already and she'll be perfect for you, nya!" Rin added before sheepishly smiling. "That, and I'm a sucker for the 'enemies to lovers' type of thing."

"Well, they do fight a lot but they are friends." Hanayo commented with a giggle. "Maybe frenemies is a better term?"

"Exactly that, nya!"

"Whatever. It's a Halloween party, right?" Maki interrupted with a light blush, making Rin snicker at how she was obviously changing subjects, "What are you guys going as?"

"Me and Kayo-chin will be cats, nya!" Rin answered, happy that Maki wasn't feeling down anymore. "What about you, Maki-chan?"

"I," Maki started but froze. With a wince, she continued, "Nico-chan made me an outfit. She wouldn't stop bothering me about it until I agreed since I apparently have no holiday spirit. It's not my fault I don't like dressing up."

"Oh! What is it though?" Hanayo asked curiously and Maki averted her eyes.

"An angel outfit." Maki said indifferently, although the blush on her face showed otherwise.

"Cute!" Rin and Hanayo both gushed, making Maki blush more.

"W-Whatever. I don't understand why she made me that anyways." Maki commented with embarrassment as she twirled her hair and Rin was about to say something but Maki continued, "It's getting late, guys. We should go back home for dinner now."

Ah, home. Home was where the heater was on and the wifi connected automatically. Home was where Nozomi and Umi where there for Rin to laugh with—wait. If Rin lived with Nozomi and Umi while Maki lived with Eli and Nico, then that meant that Maki would probably see Nico if she went home.

"U-Uh, Maki-chan..." Rin spoke and Maki raised her eyebrow.

"What's up?"

Rin looked towards Hanayo with puppy eyes and Hanayo shot her a reassuring smile.

"How will you face Nico-chan tonight?" Hanayo asked for Rin and Maki bit her lip.

"I'll just avoid her as best as I can. Or stay in my room until they're done with dinner. Eli will probably keep Nico out and leave me leftovers." Maki replied with a small frown, something that Rin wanted to fix. "We should leave soon, though. Before Umi or Honoka go overboard."

"Don't worry about that, Maki-chan. Those two are probably chill with us right now." Rin responded with a wide grin, "I've got a better idea."

"What is it Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked and Maki looked at her curiously.

"Let's go to the arcade, nya! I have a buncha tickets on my card and if we earn enough, we could get the cat plushies! And then we can eat after!" Rin exclaimed brightly and Maki blinked at her. "I have my wallet and Honoka-chan lost a bet so I'm $25 richer, nya!"

"Rin, we have midterms to worry about. I'm sure the two of you have a project or something to do, especially you Rin." Maki said in a deadpan voice and Rin pouted.

"Eh, Maki-chan, don't be a party pooper. It'll only take us 3 hours max." Rin replied, putting her arm around Maki's shoulder playfully. "I know which games give a higher rate of tickets so if we focus on those, we'll be fine."

"How do you even know that?" Maki asked incredulously and Rin laughed.

"It's a secret, Maki-chan." Rin responded with a wink to Hanayo, who blushed. They spent enough time at the arcade for dates that Rin knew how the machines worked. "Now, c'mon Maki-chan. Let's go, nya!"

"Why the cat plushies?" Maki grumbled as Rin enthusiastically helped her up.

"Because there's three different cats, nya! The white one can for Kayo-chin, the yellow one can be mine, and the black one can be for Maki-chan!"

"Why do I have to get the black one?"

"Because you're a party pooper, nya!"

"And you have an unhealthy obsession with cats. Literally. You're allergic to them Rin."

"See? Maki-chan's a party pooper, nya!"

"Rin-chan, Maki-chan, calm down." Hanayo interrupted gently with a nervous smile, making Rin giggle and Maki sigh. However, Rin was able to catch a glimpse of Maki's small smile and grinned widely herself; mission accomplished.

And so, the three friends went to the arcade. They successfully got enough tickets for the cat plushies, although Rin almost got kicked out for suspiciously winning at least 5 of the games. She had to purposely lose in order to get the staff off of her back.

While Rin was adamant on paying for dinner, she only had around $30 in her wallet so Maki just used her card. Dinner was an amusing affair, especially with how embarrassed Maki would get when it came to Rin recalling her pranks on her. But as fun as it was, the three still had school to worry about and each went to their respective homes after.

Midterms passed by quickly enough, especially because of all the work and studying Rin had to do. Before she even knew it, it was already the day of the party. From what Rin could tell, Maki and Nico hadn't made much progress because of midterms. It didn't help that Nico had afternoon classes and work while Maki had morning classes and spent most of her time studying.

At the moment, Rin was with Hanayo. They decided to get ready together and were waiting for Maki to pick them up from Hanayo's place. On the other hand, Honoka, Tsubasa, and Kotori were already ready. Rin thought that Honoka's pirate costume and Tsubasa's police uniform was fitting for their personalities whereas Kotori's princess outfit was absolutely stunning. It was a bit revealing so if Umi saw her, she'll probably have a nosebleed. Rin had snickered at the thought and told Honoka to get her a video of her reaction. Honoka just waved her off, talking about how she was planning on doing so regardless. Anyways, the three had just left to convince Umi to wear the outfit Kotori made for her and when Rin asked what Umi's outfit was, they just winked at her.

"You'll see later Rin-chan~" Kotori just told her playfully and Rin couldn't help but get excited.

"What is it Kayo-chin?" Rin asked curiously once they left and Hanayo giggled.

"Something fitting for Umi-chan." Hanayo answered vaguely and Rin pouted.

"Mou, Kayo-chin, that's not fair, nya." Rin protested and Hanayo just giggled again.

"It was fair since I answered your question Rin-chan." Hanayo answered with a small smile and Rin groaned.

"I didn't think Kayo-chin would be a party pooper too." Rin whined and was about to say more until Hanayo kissed her cheek.

"Rin-chan needs to learn to stop being impatient." Hanayo said with a soft tone and Rin blushed lightly.

"R-Right, nya." Rin responded lamely and Hanayo smiled warmly, leaning into her. Rin welcomed her contact, putting her arm around her shoulder and kissing the top of her head.

"You're so adorable." Rin whispered when she felt Hanayo snuggle up to her and grinned when she saw the tips of Hanayo's ears go red.

Hanayo pulled back a bit so she could look at Rin in the face and responded, "You're adorable too!"

Rin leaned in close enough to nuzzle her nose against Hanayo's, "I know. I love you Kayo-chin."

"I love you too Rin-chan." Hanayo mumbled before Rin closed the distance.

Rin moved her lips against Hanayo's gently, not wanting to be too rough with her. Hanayo leaned in more as she wrapped her arms around Rin's neck while Rin settled her hands on her waist. Rin fought back a moan when Hanayo lightly tugged at her hair and squeezed her waist in response. The kiss intensified as Rin moved her hands down to massage one of Hanayo's thighs, leading to Hanayo moaning into her mouth. Rin couldn't help but take the chance to move her tongue inside hers, loving the way Hanayo curled up to her as a result.

When they finally pulled apart in order to breathe, Hanayo found herself on Rin's lap. The two were blushing heavily but made no signs of moving apart. Instead, Hanayo leaned in to nuzzle her nose against Rin's. The two giggled lightly and locked lips once again but before their kiss could reach the same levels of intensity as their last, Rin received a call. Embarrased, Hanayo rested her head on the crook of Rin's neck while one of Rin's hands rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Maki-chan? What's up, nya?" Rin asked, slightly breathless when she answered the call.

"I'm here." came Maki's response. She then continued hesitantly, "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

"Not really." Rin responded, inwardly thanking Maki because she might've lost control if she hadn't interrupted. She didn't want to move too fast with Hanayo after all. "Want to come inside? The party doesn't start until 7."

"Why'd you make me come right now? It's barely 5." Maki asked with a groan and Rin giggled.

"Cause it's an hour drive there, nya! Plus I know a place where we can get discounts for wearing costumes." Rin responded energetically while Hanayo got off of her lap, choosing to rest her head on her shoulder as Rin looped her arm around her again. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I had lunch earlier, but if you're planning on getting an early dinner, you should come to the car instead so we won't be late." Maki answered and Rin snickered.

"You sure sound eager to go Maki-chan." Rin commented and continued before she could complain, "Its a party, nya! No one really cares if you go late. There's bound to be people coming and going anyways."

"Whatever. Just hurry up will you?" Maki replied and Rin could literally hear her blush.

"Yes, yes. See ya soon, nya!" Rin exclaimed before ending the call and nudging Hanayo. "Maki-chan's here. Let's go Kayo-chin."

"Are we eating at that one cafe a couple blocks away?" Hanayo asked as they stood up and walked to the door.

"Yeah. I wonder how Maki-chan's outfit looks like, nya." Rin said as she opened the door. Hanayo locked it and the two looked around, spotting Maki's S550 quickly and walking over to it. Maki rolled down the window to the passenger's seat.

"Do you two want to sit in the back?" Maki asked somewhat uncomfortably and Rin laughed.

"Just cause we're dating doesn't mean we'll both stay in the back, nya! I'm not Nozomi-chan." Rin responded with a wide grin as she opened the front door for Hanayo, "Here you go, Kayo-chin."

"Thanks Rin-chan." Hanayo said as she entered the car. Rin then opened the back door and went inside, buckling her seatbelt. She leaned forward to see Maki's costume but was disappointed because Maki was wearing a hoodie.

"Ne, where's your outfit Maki-chan?" Rin asked with a pout and Maki blushed.

"It's in the trunk." Maki answered as she shifted the gear to drive, "Where is this place you two are talking about?"

"Don't change the subject, nya!" Rin replied and Maki's face became even more red.

"Were you too embarrassed to wear it?" Hanayo asked and Maki sputtered.

"W-What? Of course not! It's just," Maki stuttered and hesitated to continue but at seeing the puppy eyes from both Rin and Hanayo, she relented, "the wings would get ruined if I lean on them too much."

"Wings? Nico-chan must've gone all out, nya!" Rin exclaimed with a wide grin. "The restaurant is nearby the cafe Kotori-chan works."

"Alright." Maki said as she started driving. With a thoughtful hum, she asked Hanayo, "Is something going on between her and Umi? They seem to be more touchy feely nowadays."

"They're going out but I only found out because Honoka-chan caught Kotori-chan kissing Umi-chan when Umi-chan came over a couple days ago." Hanayo confessed with a light blush. "I didn't really notice because I was too busy studying."

"Ah, so that's what Nozomi-chan meant by the ocean calming down as of late." Rin brought up with a giggle.

"When does she not speak in riddles?" Maki grumbled as she made a turn. "Every time I talk to her, she always says something vague and unnerving."

"Like what?" Hanayo asked.

"Things like 'Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.' and 'We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, but battle on.'" Maki answered and Rin laughed. "W-What's so funny?"

"I can't believe Nozomi-chan quoted Dumbledore." Rin exclaimed as she laughed, making Hanayo giggle at the revelation.

"Who the hell is Dumbledore?" Maki asked with a slight frown and Rin immediately stopped laughing, gasping as she looked at Maki with an incredulous look, "W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You uncultured swine!" Rin exclaimed and Maki glared at her from the rear view mirror, "I can't believe you don't know Dumbledore from the _Harry Potter_ series, nya!"

"I-It's not my fault I didn't read those types of books." Maki protested as she twirled her hair while driving. Rin shot her a horrified look when she felt the car jerk; the car cost more than $90,000 and Maki acted like it was okay for her to not pay attention to the road. "So what if I spent all my time playing the piano and reading books on astronomy, not those fictional universes."

"O-Okay, nya. Just keep your eyes on the road." Rin nervously replied because the car was worth four times more than her college tuition and Maki rolled her eyes.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Maki responded and Hanayo giggled nervously.

"There's a parking lot around the corner, Maki-chan. We can park there." Hanayo interrupted and Maki nodded.

Once they safely parked, Rin bounced up to Maki and slung her arm around her shoulder, "You gotta change into your costume once we're done here, nya!"

"Yes, because I definitely won't ruin the wings on my back." Maki sarcastically replied as she shrugged her arm off and Rin giggled.

"I'll drive, nya!" Rin exclaimed but when Maki glared at her, Rin continued sheepishly, "Well, Kayo-chin can drive."

"That doesn't solve the problem, Rin." Maki said in a deadpan voice and Rin hummed thoughtfully.

"Can you remove the wings?" Hanayo asked and Maki blinked. It was obvious she didn't think of that yet.

With a blush, Maki stuttered, "I-I don't know how to remove it, much less put it back on."

"Well, if it's anything like the sketches she showed me a couple weeks ago, then I'm sure I can remove them and put them back on." Hanayo said and Maki gave her a deadpan stare.

"Nico-chan showed you sketches?" Maki asked and Hanayo smiled sheepishly, "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"I forgot." Hanayo responded simply, making Rin laugh.

"Don't bully Kayo-chin, Maki-chan! She's tired from all the work we had to for midterms." Rin said as she held Hanayo's hand, grinning as she leaned in and continued, "Or are you jealous that Nico-chan shows Kayo-chin her sketches?"

"I-I'm not jealous. I don't understand what you're saying. Let's go inside now." Maki replied as she rushed on ahead, the tips of her ears red. Rin and Hanayo giggled as they followed her. However, once they sat down at one of the booths, Rin received a text.

 _"its all set up! just make sure you come a bit late so nicocchi is a bit out of it. but not_ too _late bc then nicocchi would be too gone. dont worry tho,_ _those two will definitely be together by the end of the night ;)"_

Rin sweatdropped at Nozomi's text, feeling a bit worried for Maki.

If only she knew what Nozomi was planning.

* * *

 **AN:** I honestly hope this nearly 18k update makes up for my long ass absence lol. I also hope that the NicoMaki didn't seem forced and that you guys didn't lose interest midway cause this chapter was long af. Do you guys mind long updates or not? Cause I myself like reading long chapters but I know some others who don't like it.

Anyways, I actually have most of the next chapter done. I just need to write a couple more scenes and edit it. Hopefully, I'll have it done by the end of next week. Some members of Aqours will show up as well as other yuri couples, but it will only be for that chapter only.

As always, I hope you all liked this chapter! I also apologize for any grammar mistakes or ooc cause this chapter was ridiculously long. Reviews and criticisms are much appreciated! Especially for which pairings (other than NicoMaki) you guys want to see in the next chapter bc the entire gang will be at the party. I could probably add some more stupid scenes haha.

Edit: Some dialogue and grammar changes, but nothing too serious.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Okay so I'm really _really_ sorry for the long ass update but I've been in writers block hell for the _longest_ time. That, and life is kicking my ass as usual. Like the previous chapter, I edited the past chapters so I can get a feel of the fic again as well as make any changes if I needed to. The only major one is that Aquors aren't professors anymore, but TAs. Seems more believable imo, but I do know of professors who are friends with their students (I've actually played LoL with my bro's professor lol). Anyways, I hope this 15k update is enough for now. Sorry if there's any mistakes, but I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

By the time Nozomi had arrived at the beach house to help Nico set up, the sun was glowing. The sky was fortunately cloudless, and Nozomi couldn't help but look up and appreciate how pleasing its shade of blue compared to that of the ocean. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and felt the sea breeze blow gently against her. She smiled serenely, loving how tranquil the scenery was.

After all, it was the calm before the storm.

"Nozomi, I need to use the restroom so I'll go ahead." Eli spoke up from beside her and Nozomi opened her eyes, looking at another beautiful embodiment of blue. Warmth seeped into her heart at how soft they were and she couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Alright." Nozomi responded after a moment, blushing lightly when she caught herself staring. Eli said nothing and just shot her a knowing smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek before walking away.

Nozomi watched her leave, her eyes glued to her outfit. It was a fox costume Nico had designed for Eli since Eli (and Maki) hated dressing up for Halloween. It was simple but cute: a white fur shirt, blue skirt, hat with ears, and tail attached to the back. The getup made Eli a bit embarrassed because she wasn't used to wearing such clothes, but Nico had guilt tripped her into wearing it, telling her that she spent several months working on it (well, Nozomi found out that it only took her a month, but Eli didn't need to know that) and that she should have some holiday spirit, especially after midterms.

On the other hand, Nozomi was wearing a modified shrine maiden costume. The robes weren't as long as a typical shrine maiden outfit, but that was expected from a college student. Halloween was more about showing off rather than sticking to the traditional concept of horror, especially when it came to college students.

According to Nico, there wasn't much for Nozomi to do other than set up decorations, but she still wanted to help out because she wanted to make sure her plans would succeed. Unfortunately, she couldn't add any of her own decorations because of Nico's vehement protests. Something about not wanting drunk people to shit themselves or puke all over the place. It was a shame, especially because Halloween was Nozomi's favorite holiday.

 _'Maybe we can decorate the outside. It's not like anyone would be paying attention inside.'_ Nozomi thought with a hum. _'And I still need to talk to a couple of people about Nicocchi and Maki-chan. Hm...'_

Too immersed with her thoughts about certain plans, Nozomi failed to hear someone walking behind her.

"Well, if it isn't Captain Nozomi." an amiable voice spoke up from behind and Nozomi turned around.

It was Watanabe You, one of the more sociable and popular TAs in the university. She was in charge of the discussions and workshops that dealt with fashion majors, which only exemplified her popularity because of how all the girls would talk about her. She was also ridiculously charismatic and her outfits were always on point, and it made Nozomi wonder how she could stay sane with all the work she had to do.

Nozomi almost forgot that You was going to be at the party. Nico told her that she wouldn't have been able to throw a party at her beach house if she couldn't watch over. Her reasons were understandable, considering how Nico almost burned a house down the last time she threw one.

"Ohayousoro!" You greeted with an enthusiastic grin and Nozomi returned the smile.

"Ohayousoro, Watanabe-senpai!" Nozomi greeted back and You walked over, punching her shoulder gently.

"It's You-senpai to you. And here I thought we were close." You said with a playful smile and Nozomi laughed.

"Right, You-senpai. Is that your costume though?" Nozomi asked amusedly, looking at her choice of clothing. She was wearing black short shorts, a red and white letterman jacket with a white t-shirt, and a hat that had the word "You" on it. Despite how much it made Nozomi cringe, it made You look like a freshman in college. That, and it reminded Nozomi of someone who wouldn't stop annoying Maki.

"I was trying to look like Shiro, that one frat boy from the science department. That kid has the fashion sense of a horny teenager. What are they called again? Fuck boys?" You responded with a small smile and Nozomi laughed hard, making You's grin widen as she straightened her jacket. "So I'm guessing this is passable?" You asked with a well practiced sleazy smirk, giving Nozomi a horrible wink while leaning back and shoving her hands into her pockets.

"You look exactly like him, You-senpai!" Nozomi exclaimed, laughing at her antics. She knew Maki would hate her outfit more than anything else.

Wait. Maybe she could make something out of this. Hm...

Nozomi decided that she'll think about it later. If she were to directly use You in her plans, then she would need to revise them. With a mysterious smile, Nozomi asked, "What's up with that hat though?"

"This thing?" You reiterated as she looked up before taking it off and waving it around. She didn't seem to mind Nozomi's smile, most likely because she was used to it already. She'd seen the same expression on her best friend's face many times before, after all. "Whenever I make something, I like to put my name on it."

"Is it a designer thing?" Nozomi asked and You nodded with a proud smile as she put it back on. With a whistle, Nozomi continued, "This place is huge, You-senpai. How'd you afford all of this?"

The area was secluded enough to hold a party without annoying the neighbors, but it wasn't too far from somewhere if something were to happen. Everything was also ridiculously big. The beach house looked more like a mini-mansion and it even had its own parking lot. There was also a small port with a boat next to it, making Nozomi wonder how a grad student could make enough money to buy all of it.

"Well, I am a designer. I sell a lot of stuff online and it's usually sold out pretty quick. This university's the only one that allows for TAs in almost every major and even though it doesn't pay much, it helps spread my name around." You replied with another proud smile. However, her expression became uneasy and Nozomi looked at her curiously. With a hesitant smile, she continued, "Mari also helped pay for it as long as I gave her a set of keys and let her do whatever she wanted here."

Nozomi raised her eyebrow at that and You shrugged, "I get the place cleaned every week so don't worry. But I don't think I want to know what she does here though."

"Ohara-senpai seems more like the type who would have her own beach house. Ah, but I wonder why she's in grad school and not taking over her family's business." Nozomi mused out loud, knowing that Mari was wealthy and had a lot of influence in the business world, much like how Maki was.

"She's a daddy's girl and convinced the old man that having a masters would look good, but all she really wanted to do was bother Kanan and Dia even though being a grad student is ridiculously tough." You replied with a laugh as if she herself wasn't a grad student before ushering Nozomi towards the beach house, "Enough talk. Let's go set up now."

"Yes, yes." Nozomi said with a giggle and the two walked in.

The lights were all set up and there was some decorations set up already, although Nozomi wondered why they would put some in the living room when no one would be paying attention. They had to at least put them in the rooms upstairs—that's where the real fun started, after all.

You led Nozomi to the kitchen and she immediately recognized Nico, who was dressed up in a rather revealing devil outfit and mixing some drinks with Mari and Kanan. Both were also TAs at the university and were also as popular as You, especially because they were some of the friendlier TAs.

Nozomi immediately connected the pieces and silently grinned. Well, this was an unexpected but welcome surprise. They would prove useful for Nozomi's plans, especially if they were going to help You out. Another set of eyes would be extremely beneficial.

Nozomi initially thought it was weird how some of the TAs tended to establish a friendly relationship with students, especially at such a large university as theirs. She thought that there would be too many faces and names to remember and that the amount of work they had to deal with would be too much, but in the end she realized that it was just how they were. They seemed to possess a natural intellect and were probably experts at time management. Nozomi herself would know, considering all the times Mari had invited her out to gossip about some students.

"Don't worry about it, Nico! You're a pretty bomber head so you'll be fine." Mari exclaimed and Nico stopped pouring to look at her weirdly. Nozomi tried to refrain from laughing; Mari was probably one of Nozomi's favorite TAs even though she's never had her for a class. She met her through some mutual friends and she easily got along with her. Nico claimed that it was because of their shared tendencies to grope their friends, but it was really more than that. Really.

"Isn't that, like, sorta sexual harassment right there?" Nico asked Kanan, who just shrugged and kept pouring.

"You get used to it after a while. She doesn't mean any real harm." Kanan replied and Mari pouted. She put down a bottle and tried to move closer to Kanan but she glared at her, "Touch my breasts and you'll be knocked out long enough to miss the party."

Mari just flashed a peace sign and exclaimed, "It's joke!" before returning to what she was doing earlier.

"Aren't you like, supposed to be in a relationship or something by now?" Nico grumbled and Mari just giggled.

"Who's to say I'm not?" Mari answered with a wink and Kanan rolled her eyes.

"She's lying." Kanan said before whacking Mari on the head, "Don't make up any rumors."

"But that question was also directed towards you." Nico replied with a smirk and Kanan blushed lightly.

"That's my business, not yours."

"Sure, sure…"

"Ohayousoro! Nozomi's here." You greeted and the three stopped pouring simultaneously, making Nozomi giggle.

"Hello!" Mari greeted back in English while Kanan and Nico just waved at her.

"Hey you three." Nozomi said with a smile. "Need any help?"

"Yeah, just some decorations left." Kanan replied and looked around, "Is Eli not back from the bathroom yet?"

"She has been gone for a while." Nico commented before snickering, "What if she saw one of the decorations and fainted. That'd be—"

"—an extremely rare occasion. You know I'm hard to faze, Nico." Eli finished with a pointed look as she entered the living room. Nico stuck her tongue out at her and started grumbling about the dark but Eli ignored her, walking over to Nozomi and kissing her on the lips. She was surprisingly okay with PDA and initiating contact, not that Nozomi was complaining. "Hey."

"Hey to you." Nozomi greeted with a small smile before leaning in again to kiss her. When she pulled away, she briefly heard Nico's gags.

"Get a room." Nico said with a disgusted look and Nozomi laughed.

"It's only been a week, Nicocchi. What would you expect to happen?"

"Lots of things since this is coming from the person who squeezes boobs as a form of punishment. Who knows what kind of kinky shit you're into."

"Alright you two, settle down." Eli intervened with a stern look before putting an arm around Nozomi. She looked at the various containers, boxes of beer, and beer kegs and whistled, "That's a lot of alcohol."

"What's a better way to enjoy the end of midterms than overloading alcohol? I'm joking, it's only because of you all. Knowing how popular you are, it's bound to get crowded." You said, putting an arm around Kanan and winking, "But as far as anyone knows, we're all just a bunch of adults having fun. School is a subject that will not be discussed." You laughed but seemed to remember something and frowned. She continued, "Oh, but if I see anyone doing drugs I'm kicking them out. I heard what happens in the frat parties up the north side."

"Maybe you shouldn't have had this place built here since some of the fraternities and sororities are within driving distance, although I think they would know better than to bring drugs here." Kanan brought up as she leaned into You, humming thoughtfully, "I thought students would be uncomfortable with us since we're basically their teachers, just younger."

"Maybe they're into some teacher roleplay kinda thing." Mari commented with a wink and laughed when Kanan shook her head, obviously appalled at the statement.

"First of all, I'm not interested. Second of all, I've got too much shit to do." Kanan responded uneasily and Mari laughed again, as if she expected that response.

"Will you be drinking tonight?" Nozomi asked and Kanan shrugged lightly.

"I won't drink too much. Since I lost a bet with You, I have to play chaperone and make sure no one gets alcohol poisoning and the like." Kanan answered with a frown as she remembered her duties. She shrugged You's arm off and You snickered.

"Don't act as if you hate it. You know I can't drink too much either. I'm technically sharing the host role with Nico here." You said as she patted Nico's head, making Nico glare at her, "Oh come on, you're my favorite student."

"Doesn't give you the right to pet my head like some kid." Nico grumbled and Nozomi snickered, "Shut up, tits."

"Yes, yes." Nozomi replied with an amused grin, "Will any of the other TAs come?"

"I doubt Ruby and Hanamaru would come. Chika's got a lot of work to do and Riko said she was too tired to go out." Kanan said nonchalantly as she threw some bottles in the recycling bin nearby, "I know Dia is coming to make sure things don't get too overboard. Yoshiko said she's coming, which isn't surprising because she's actually diligent with her work, but she'll probably get wasted."

"She gets tipsy pretty easily, so someone needs to keep an eye out for her unless you want there to be a scandal of some sort." Mari piped in with a wink, making Kanan roll her eyes.

"She already does weird things at school. What's the worst she could do here?" Kanan asked, making You laugh.

"I don't think we want to find out. But yeah, we'll keep an eye on Yohane, got it." You reiterated before looking at Nozomi and Eli, winking as she said, "You two go put the rest of the decorations up. If you do anything in the rooms, just clean it up."

Eli blushed at her implications and Nozomi laughed. On the other hand, Nico made another disgusted face.

" _Don't_ encourage them. I don't want to wake up to those two fucking around at home." Nico seethed and You grinned widely.

"You're just jealous cause you can't do the same with Maki. Don't worry, by the end of tonight, you two will be together." You replied mischievously as she shot Nozomi a poorly hidden wink, making Nozomi grin widely.

"Oh hell no. What are you and tits planning?" Nico asked and Kanan laughed nervously. "What the hell? You're in on this too?"

"Don't forget me!" Mari piped in and Nico groaned. She went to the side of the counter and got one of the disposable shot cups. She filled it up and took a drink, coughing immediately after.

"I can't do this shit sober." Nico grumbled as she coughed, "Need more coke in this one."

"Alright!" Mari exclaimed in English and Nozomi laughed.

"We'll be going now." Nozomi announced as she took Eli's hand and walked over to a box in the living room, which contained some fake webs, bats, tombstones, and electronically lit pumpkins. When Nozomi looked around, she saw that there was enough fake webs and decided that outside could use some decorations as well. "C'mon Elichi. Let's put some of these outside."

"Alright." Eli replied as she let go of her hand so she could pick up the box. The two left and put some of the fake spider web on the railing. They placed some of the bats hanging around and put some tombstones and pumpkins in the sand. When they were done, Nozomi stood back a little with a proud grin, looking at the house with satisfaction.

"That's the best we could do with these decorations." Nozomi said as Eli walked up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Only because of you." Eli whispered into her ear, making Nozomi giggle and smile, "You're so cute when you do that."

"Do what?" Nozomi asked playfully and Eli smiled.

"When you smile like that. It makes my heart race." Eli mumbled as she kissed Nozomi's neck. Nozomi giggled again before distancing herself from Eli, laughing fully when she saw the pout on her face.

Eli had become a lot more affectionate and clingy since they had started dating, especially because they spent most of their time studying together. By studying, Nozomi meant actual studying, although they did spend some time cuddling and talking about each other (and maybe some kissing) whenever one of them got too tired. It was still pretty easy to tease Eli though, especially because she was as cliche as a shitty romance novel.

Nozomi didn't mind the change at all. It was nice to see someone who was usually frowning say romantic things and blush. Rin was right; Eli really was just a big softie under her calm, intimidating demeanor, much like Umi and Maki.

"You know, I could do without the cheesiness." Nozomi brought up but Eli just smiled warmly.

"But it's the truth." Eli replied as she leaned in close enough to graze her lips against Nozomi's. She leaned her forehead against hers and mumbled against her lips, placing her hands on her waist and squeezing them lightly, "If only I asked you out when I realized how I felt about you."

"We're together now and that's all that matters." Nozomi murmured, deciding not to tease Eli about her cheesiness again before pressing her lips against Eli's.

"Go get it girl!" Mari interrupted with a shrill cheer, making Nozomi break apart from Eli and laugh. Eli just blushed and avoided eye contact.

"Is everything set up inside?" Nozomi asked as she held Eli's hand and walked over to Mari.

"Yes. The candy and snacks are all ready. We even made some Jell-O shots! Oh, and the lights for outside are set up as well." Mari exclaimed excitedly, making Nozomi giggle.

"We need to make sure no one gets into the water. I don't want any lawsuits or search parties on our hands." Kanan said as she opened the door and stood next to Mari, "It's a Halloween party, but drunk people do the stupidest things."

"But swimming is fun!" Mari bit back and Kanan laughed softly.

"Don't mind her; she just hasn't been in a party in a while." Kanan replied with a small smile, nudging Mari with her hip, "Remember back when we partied like crazy?"

"Remember? I'm gonna relive them!" Mari responded with a laugh but Kanan blushed lightly, shaking her head.

"Just don't do anything scandalous with the students." Kanan said and Mari giggled.

"Don't act as if you don't remember what happened back then." Mari whispered as she moved closer to Kanan, who blushed more at the sudden proximity. Kanan rolled her eyes and pushed her away.

"T-That happened l-like once. Anyways, we've got a couple hours to waste. You two want anything to eat?" Kanan responded as she changed the subject and looked at Nozomi and Eli, ignoring Mari in the process.

Nozomi blinked at their antics before inwardly shaking her head and looking at Eli, who shrugged. With a smile, Nozomi nodded and said, "Sure. Better to drink with a full stomach than an empty one."

"We can talk over what's going to happen tonight as well." Mari added mischievously and Nozomi grinned.

Tonight was going to be one of the best nights Nico and Maki would ever have.

* * *

The party was in full swing by the time the clock struck 7, which was very early considering how parties usually started later. Despite this, there seemed to be no shortage of people despite how huge the place was. Nozomi knew that it mostly because of Nico's popularity as a party girl and that her parties were lit (sometimes literally), but the fact that Nozomi and the rest of the group were going was a part as well. She only hoped that Eli, Umi, and Maki's reputations would save them from drunken flirts, knowing from firsthand experience how annoying they could be.

Well, Umi didn't need her reputation. Not with Kotori by her side.

"Shouldn't you be with Eli?" Umi asked and Nozomi giggled. She was wearing a rather dashing prince costume, one that made all the girls turn their heads only to look away because of the princess attached onto her arm. As Nozomi looked closer at the outfits, she could tell that they were well-made. Both costumes seemed to look comfortable despite the exquisite design, especially Kotori's. Nozomi knew she had nice legs, but _damn_ , she had nice legs.

Kotori smiled amusedly as she gave Umi a peck on the cheek. She pulled her closer so she could say, "Don't worry about them, Umi-chan. Why don't we go get a couple of drinks?"

Nozomi laughed at how red Umi became and winked at the two, "Don't have too much fun now!"

"You know we will!" Kotori called back as she led Umi to the kitchen. She held up her free hand discreetly to show Nozomi a set of keys, presumably for one of the rooms upstairs.

Nozomi cheered for her once more before laughing again. She looked around the living room and sat down on one of the free couches, mildly amused at all the people talking, drinking, and dancing to the loud, catchy music. She was surprised that no one tried to flirt with her yet, but she guessed that it was because no one wanted to deal with Eli's wrath and that it was too early for drunken flirts. She took a sip of her margarita and sighed, enjoying the buzz she was getting. Mari really knew how to make a cocktail.

"Nozomi-chan!" Nozomi turned around and grinned at the familiar face.

"Hey Ushio-chan! Nice outfit." Nozomi remarked and Ushio giggled, twirling around to give her a full view of her witch costume, "Where's your cute girlfriend? I thought you were supposed to introduce her to me."

"Cute? Is that what you've been calling me?" A voice asked from behind Ushio, who turned around to give the person a kiss on the cheek.

"But it's true! Sumiko-chan is the cutest!" Ushio gushed without hesitation and Sumiko blushed.

"Mou, Ushio, you're embarrassing me." Sumiko said, averting her eyes as both Nozomi and Ushio laughed.

"Well she _is_ cute." Nozomi commented, looking at how flustered Sumiko was. Sure she was tall and seemed more like the cool type, but seeing how embarrassed she got was adorable. Kind of like how Umi would get. Scratch that. Exactly like how Umi would get. The similarities were...uncanny. "You've always had a good eye, Ushio-chan."

"Of course! I'm into cute girls after all." Ushio responded, sending Nozomi a wink as Sumiko blushed even more.

"Mou, you two..." Sumiko could only respond lamely, making Ushio giggle. She took the cup of beer in Sumiko's hand and drank it before pulling Sumiko down so she could sit next to her.

"I thought you'd be used to this by now." Ushio commented and it seemed like the blush on Sumiko's cheeks would be permanent by the way things were going.

Sumiko sighed and drank the other cup in her hand, "I wish I could get used to it."

"You two are adorable. It sort of reminds me of Kotori and Umi." Nozomi brought up with a cheeky grin and Ushio gasped.

"They were dressed up as a princess and prince, right?" Ushio asked and Nozomi nodded, giggling at how there seemed to be stars in her eyes, "Wow, those costumes were so pretty. And they were so pretty." When she saw the frown on Sumiko's face, she continued, "But Sumiko-chan is the prettiest girl in the world!"

Nozomi silently snickered at Sumiko's flushed face. Those two were almost exactly like Umi and Kotori. Their personalities, physique, and way of thinking were almost similar. A burst of cheers interrupted her train of thought and she looked over to where it came from.

 _'The kitchen? Weird.'_ Nozomi noted before turning her attention back to the couple next to her. Ushio began to fill her in about how she and Sumiko met and Nozomi listened attentively, genuinely interested. Whenever she came across Ushio on campus, she would always tell her about how amazing her girlfriend was and Nozomi wanted to meet her ever since. When Ushio finished, Nozomi couldn't help but laugh at Sumiko.

"You really do remind me of Umi-chan." Nozomi remarked with a giggle and Sumiko blushed. It was true; the two were athletic, intimidating, and ridiculously dense. However, before she could say anything more, Ushio got a text.

"Oh, Kiyori-chan is here! Let's go greet her, it's been so long!" Ushio exclaimed. She turned around to give Nozomi a hug, "I'll talk to you some other time, Nozomi-chan."

"Of course! Text me anytime." Nozomi responded with a wide grin. She waved at the two as they left before drinking the rest of her margarita. When they were gone, she sighed with content. It was always fun to hear other people's love stories, especially if they were embarrassing.

 _'Does that make me a sadist?'_ Nozomi thought contemplatively. _'I do like to tease Eli a lot. Seeing her squirm is amusing, to say the least.'_

Nozomi held in a laugh at the newfound knowledge she just discovered. Well, this only made her more excited for the future.

"Hey, Nozomi!" Someone called out and Nozomi stopped sipping mid-drink. Only a minute had passed and someone else wanted her attention. Well, it was a party and Nozomi did know most of the people so she should've expected this type of fast paced conversation. She turned her head at the person calling out at her and smiled when she saw You plop down next to her.

"How are the seas, Captain?" Nozomi asked and You laughed, recognizing the double meaning.

"Thankfully empty. Kanan's taking care of it and Mari is guarding the kitchen so I don't have to worry about alcohol poisoning. But I'm surprised to see you alone; I thought Eli would be all over you by now." You brought up playfully and Nozomi giggled.

"She's outside talking to her little sister on the phone. She told me it was nothing serious though." Nozomi said and You nodded with understanding, "How's everything going on your end?"

"Good. Everyone knows that I'm not allowing any sleepovers and most of the people here used a taxi or have a designated driver so I don't have to worry about any DUIs." You answered, waving at a student who called out to her. The girl blushed before chatting with her group of friends once more.

"Still as popular as ever." Nozomi commented amusedly and You shrugged.

"It's been like this ever since I was a kid." You confessed with an embarrassed smile. Before she could continue, she got a text message. "Ah, Dia is here."

"Is she dressing up too?" Nozomi asked, recalling how Kanan and Mari didn't have a costume. Instead, they were wearing casual clothes, although not as casual as You's. You's outfit made her giggle whenever she thought about it.

"Dia? Nah, not her thing." You replied and was about to continue when something caught her eye. With a grin, she nudged Nozomi and pointed across the room, "Kotori and Umi seem to be having fun."

In the middle of the living room was what Mari dubbed the "Lap Dance Chair". Umi was currently occupying it, her face extremely red despite the darkness of the room. On the other hand, Kotori was delightfully giving her a sensual dance. Her face was flushed and Nozomi knew that it was the alcohol's doing; she probably took too many shots at once.

Nozomi watched with a snicker as Kotori strutted slowly around Umi. When she was in front of her, she trailed her finger from her forehead down to her nose then stopped at her lips. She then brought her fingers down to her chin and forced Umi to look up at her, smiling teasingly as she gave her a wink. She started dancing sexily, turning around so she could give Umi front seat tickets to Assville.

If Nozomi didn't have a girlfriend herself, then she definitely would have wanted to get in on it because let's be honest, Kotori seems innocent but there's _something_ about her that states otherwise. And Nozomi's always loved mysteries.

"You should probably deal with those two before they do something they'll regret." You advised with a loud laugh but stopped abruptly, gasping as she realized something, "Shit, I forgot I came here to look for Yohane. Dia's supposed to help me keep some order in here but she barely—"

"Hey guys, Yohane-senpai is gonna jump into the ocean using a glider she made!" A random guy exclaimed and a crowd of people cheered, rushing out to follow him.

Nozomi laughed at how wide You's eyes widened and nudged her, "You still got some work to do, Captain."

"You got that right." You said with a sigh as she got up and downed one of Nozomi's shots, which was conveniently placed on the table next to her, "I'll be taking this, if you don't mind. Text or call me when it's time for Nico and Maki, will you?"

"Of course." Nozomi replied, humming with amusement when another student called out to You, "Where is Nicocchi though?"

"Probably in the other room playing beer pong. I gotta go now though." You answered with an uneasy smile as she waved to the student before running off. Immediately after, Nozomi heard loud cheers and directed her eyes to the middle of the room again. She burst out in laughter when she saw Kotori straddling Umi and kissing her. She could literally see Umi's resolve cracking as the seconds passed by; it was obvious from the way her hands had an iron grip on Kotori's hips. Whether if it was because she wanted to do more or if she held onto her in order to stop Kotori from doing more, Nozomi didn't know. However, before things could get too intense, Dia came in and pulled them apart.

"Alright, I'm sure neither of you would intentionally give a free show. Get a room, will you?" Dia intervened but Kotori only giggled, wrapping her arms around her prince and kissing her neck. The people around them blinked and shifted awkwardly, not knowing what to do because one of the stricter TAs was present. Dia raised an eyebrow at them and sighed. She rolled her eyes and continued with a smile, "You gotta give the others a turn after all."

Everyone cheered and drank at that and when Dia chugged a beer, they cheered even more. Soon enough, the chair was occupied and the lap dances started once again. Nozomi saw Umi take Kotori towards the kitchen, most likely for water considering how Kotori was practically attached to her. Nozomi wondered what happened that got Kotori so drunk before shrugging and checking her phone for the time.

A roar of laughter caught Nozomi's attention and she shifted her eyes towards one of the couches on the side. She raised her eyebrow at the crowd of people surrounding it and walked there, carefully carrying a shot cup in her hand. When she got there, the people started laughing again and Nozomi understood why within seconds.

"And then she ran straight into the tape! She looked like a complete idiot and she got so angry at me but it was worth it!" Honoka exclaimed and the people around her bursted into laughter. However, one of the guys protested.

"No way! Umi has, like, eagle vision or something. She caught me staring at Kotori's ass from the other side of the cafeteria."

"That's because you're too obvious when you stare, Joji." Honoka commented as she rolled her eyes before continuing, "Oh, and please don't stare at Kotori-chan's ass. I mean, I know she's easy on the eyes, but it's weird when you mention it to me."

"What's going on here?" Nozomi asked with an amused grin once she was finally able to wedge her way through to Honoka. Honoka immediately brightened up and jumped off of the couch to give her a tight hug. Nozomi held her hands up, making sure she didn't spill her drink. The crowd around her nodded approvingly.

"Nozomi-chan!" Honoka said with a devious smile and Nozomi giggled, knowing that expression all too well, "We're just talking about that one prank I pulled on Umi-chan a couple weeks ago."

"Ah, the classic tape prank." Nozomi remarked and waved her free hand to Tsubasa, who was sitting on the couch with a red cup in her hand, "Hey Tsubasa-chan. Looking good as usual."

"Hey Nozomi. The same applies to you." Tsubasa responded with a polite smile and Nozomi made a move to sit next to her while Honoka sat on her other side, "Honoka was just talking about past pranks and such."

"Some were Nozomi-chan's idea!" Honoka added with a grin, "Speaking of which, isn't something supposed to be happening tonight?"

Nozomi laughed at how the crowd became excited, "It's nothing special, really."

"Hey Honoka!" someone called and the three looked at him. He smiled uneasily and continued, "Sora just challenged you to a drinking contest."

"Hell yeah!" Honoka cheered as she abruptly stood up. She grabbed Tsubasa's hand but before she dragged her away, she grinned mischievously and said, "Don't have too much fun, Nozomi-chan!"

Once she left, the group of people started to disperse, some to follow Honoka and others to wander off. Some stayed behind to make small talk with Nozomi and the topic drifted from pranks to advice. Within minutes, she had two girls drunkenly crying on her shoulder, saying something about their crushes and how they would never fall for them. With an amused smile, she comforted them (with her handy tarot cards, of course) and made sure their friends came by to take care of them.

After comforting about four different people and reaching her third shot, Nozomi excused herself to go to the kitchen and drink some water, waving at Mari in the process. She raised an eyebrow at a person passed out against the wall with his friends around him and checked her phone, which indicated that it was nearing 8:30. She briefly wondered what was taking Eli so long before shrugging it off, knowing that she didn't have any reasons to not trust her.

Deciding that she had enough of the stuffy atmosphere, Nozomi went outside to see what the people were doing there and relax. Feeling the sea breeze was one of her favorite pastimes, and she had always gotten in trouble for staying out late because of that.

When she went outside, there was a line of beer kegs as well as a bunch of chairs and tables with people lounging around, smoking, and making small talk, making Nozomi briefly wonder why Nico would hold the party at a beach house. Sure it's fun because of the beach, but people were wearing costumes so they wouldn't probably be swimming. Well, the house itself was huge and it wasn't too far away from the other parties for those who party hopped, so Nozomi guessed that it wasn't too bad of an idea. Plus it was _You's_ place. Nozomi knew a good amount of people who had a thing for her.

"I've been seeing you way too often. And without your girlfriend too." A somewhat deep voice called out and Nozomi turned around, about to reject the guy but paused. She tried to refrain from laughing but the giggles came out regardless.

It was You again, practicing her interpretation of Shiro. Her hat was at a 45° angle, her hands were shoved into her pockets, and her lips were pulled into another sleazy smirk. Nozomi just rolled her eyes, knowing that You was playing around.

"Where's Yohane-senpai? Shouldn't you be taking care of her?" Nozomi asked, changing the subject effectively as You laughed uneasily. She took her hat off to sheepishly rub the back of her head.

"Actually, she's—"

"—You-chan! C'mere, baby. Lemme touch. Mhm." Yohane slurred as she appeared out of nowhere, arms wrapped around You's neck. She tried moving them downwards but You grabbed them, making her giggle, "C'mon. Jus lil' bit, sexy. Puhfect. Puhfect lil minion f-for dis fallen angel."

"You think everyone is sexy when you're drunk, Yohane." You said with a sigh and tried to pull Yohane off of her when she started kissing on her neck, "Watch your mouth. You'll make someone angry."

"Who cares bout Dia? I can, I can do what I want."

Nozomi blinked at the TAs before her, not knowing how to react. Usually they kept some degree of their professionalism, no matter how small. But now, the scene before her was void of any of that, making Nozomi wonder if their workload was taking its toll on them after all. It was only when Kanan came by that You was saved.

"Now, Yoshiko, calm down—" Nozomi raised her eyebrow at that, wondering why she introduced herself as Yohane when her real name was Yoshiko. She guessed she would ask You later.

"—Ooh, Kanan is here! Mhm, so smexy!"

Or so Nozomi thought. Kanan just rolled her eyes as Yohane clung to both her and You's arms, obviously feeling them.

"Do you want to take her to one of the rooms?" Kanan asked and You shook her head, a blush on her face.

"She's already kissed me like three times. It's your turn now." You protested and Kanan raised her eyebrow.

"I know. I saw. You clearly enjoyed it." Kanan responded with a knowing look and You blushed.

"I-I did not! She's just, you know, great at kissing." You replied with embarrassment and Kanan chuckled lightly, taking her hat off to ruffle her hair.

"Yes, yes. We've all been kissed by Yoshiko at some point. I'll take her then." Kanan said before leaving, Yohane giggling drunkenly all the while.

"C-Call me later, l-little demon~"

"Well, that's done and over now." You responded with a sigh, the blush still on her face.

"Why does she call herself Yohane? And does she usually get like that when drunk often?" Nozomi asked curiously and You laughed uneasily.

"Yohane has this weird persona thing and I just like to indulge her a bit. And as for drinking, she's always been like that. She seems like the last person to get affectionate but she does. Unfortunately, it's when she's drunk and as you can see, she gets a bit extreme." You responded casually but Nozomi still caught the blush on her face. She then changed the subject, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She should be back by now, but she hasn't texted me." Nozomi replied, slightly concerned. Shaking her head as well as her worries, she continued with a small giggle, "She's probably looking for me. The place is big after all."

"That's true. Well, I don't want to hold you anymore. Maki should be arriving soon and I'm sure there's some guests I have to greet." You said as she looked at her watch. She patted Nozomi's shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile before leaving.

Nozomi decided then that she would go back inside and set her plans in motion. She walked over to one of the rooms where the beer pong game was going on, grabbing a shot along the way. She walked in just in time to see Nico win third game; Nozomi knew because of all the spectators cheering "Three in a row!".

"Hah! You owe Nico-Nii $20 now!" Nico exclaimed, a small blush apparent on her cheeks. The guy across from her groaned and pulled some money out of his pocket.

"Only got like, uh, $3 on me." He replied somberly and Nico pouted.

"Why would you bet that much if you don't got the cash?"

"Well, it's just, uh, that you're, uh, small—"

"—yeah, yeah. I'm short so I get drunk easily. Heard that before." Nico waved him off, walking over to get the money from him, "You owe me $17, Arai. Don't forget to drink some water and chill a bit before going to Ryuji's party."

"Yeah, yeah." Arai waved goodbye before stumbling off to his laughing friends, and Nozomi decided then to show herself.

"Won another beer pong game Nicocchi?" Nozomi asked with a grin as she walked over and put an arm around Nico, who just rolled her eyes. "I don't understand how you can drink that. It tastes like crap."

"It's an acquired taste." Nico replied wisely, making Nozomi giggle.

"I think you mean 'I only like it because I was socially pressured to drink it and now it's not so bad'?" Nozomi teased and Nico rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Where's the tall idiot? Thought she'd be all over you by now." Nico said, changing the subject as she checked her phone for the time.

"That's not important here, Nicocchi." Nozomi said with a knowing smile.

"Tch, since when was that big, dumb oaf not important to you?" Nico asked as she rolled her eyes. She then turned around and squished Nozomi's cheeks, "You better be careful now."

"Why's that, Nicocchi?" Nozomi asked amusedly and Nico let go of her cheeks, rolling her eyes again.

"You think you know Eli, but you don't. She misunderstands. Easily." Nico vaguely stated, making Nozomi blink, "Don't come crying to me when the two of you fight over some stupid shit."

"What's this about?"

"I knew having some TAs here would start some rumors, but shit spreads like wildfire. Please, keep your hands to yourself." Nico said, drinking water in between her sentences. Nozomi looked at her and laughed loudly once she connected all the pieces.

"Oh, please. You've got it all wrong."

"I know. Make sure blondie gets it too."

"Well, I've heard enough about me. Now, about you." Nozomi changed the subject with a wide grin and Nico groaned, "Aw, don't be like that. It's not as bad as it seems."

"That's what you always say, but it almost always ends up being worse than I think. Why don't you just let me have my fun in peace?"

"You know, if you wanted to party so hard, you should've joined one of the sororities."

"Do I look like I got 'slut' written on my forehead."

"Nicocchi, that's rude."

"Right. Sorry. I meant that I have standards."

"Well," Nozomi started, pausing when she felt her phone vibrate. She then took a shot of something that tasted more like rubbing alcohol and winced before continuing, "what if we started one?"

Nico paused and then looked at her as if a light bulb went off. She groaned and sat down on one of the chairs, putting her hands over her face.

"Why did I not think of that earlier?"

"Because all of that alcohol messed up your brain."

"As if you're any better, tits."

"Woah, is Nico already done for the night?" One of the guys asked when he saw Nico's slumped figure and Nico stood up. Nozomi laughed; any sign of Nico showing weakness was always immediately noticed during parties. It sure sucked to be popular. Well, she was also the host and she wouldn't be a good one if she got trashed.

"What the hell are you talking about? We're just getting started! If your costumes don't get fucked up by the end of tonight, then feel free to sue me!" Nico responded loudly. She turned around, took a beer, and chugged it, making everyone cheer and laugh. Nozomi giggled with amusement, choosing only to pour herself some water. What a declaration Nico just made. "We'll talk later, tits."

"I'm not sure about that." Nozomi replied with a grin, although it was unheard by Nico's ears.

Nico went somewhere and soon after, the music changed. It sounded like raunchy ghetto music where people grinded on each other rather than danced, but it wasn't like people actually danced anyways. Well, Nozomi was glad that You was a good samaritan and made sure every room had more than enough supplies for "unexpected fun".

Nozomi walked over to the living room and looked around, looking for Eli. With a thoughtful hum and an unsuccessful search, she grabbed a tray of shots, courtesy of Mari, and walked over to one of the couches. While she checked her phone for any new messages, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation some guys were having nearby.

"Dude, she's like, so damn thicc."

"Yeah bro, she's thick as fuck."

"Nah, bro, you gotta say it right: thicc."

"I am, you shit head: thick."

"Nah, you ain't saying it right: thicc."

"Oh! I got it: thicc."

The group of somewhat drunk guys cheered and Nozomi couldn't help but laugh herself. Is that really what all guys talked about?

"Yeah, but like, I heard Nozomi was on the volleyball team in high school."

"Yeah, dude. You see her bod?"

"Yeah, bro. Volleyball girls got dat ass though."

While Nozomi was used to guys talking about her like that, it didn't mean that she was comfortable with it. She got up and was about to slap the person who said it in the face, but someone beat her to it.

"Don't talk about Nozomi-chan like that, nya!" Rin exclaimed angrily as she pushed one of the guys. She was about to go further but Hanayo held her back.

"R-Rin-chan! Don't hurt them." Hanayo intervened and Maki scoffed.

"Yeah, they're just bummed because they can only get a girl when she's drunk." Maki said and one of the guys glared at her.

"Watch your mouth, Nishikino."

"What are you going to do? I'm sure you know who Nozomi is dating." Maki replied, smirking when she saw him hesitate, "That's right. I think you should leave now."

They picked up their fallen friend and left, glaring and grumbling all the while. With a wide grin, Nozomi went to them and slung an arm around Maki and Hanayo, a shot cup in each hand.

"Nice to know you girls have my back." Nozomi said happily, making Hanayo and Maki blush.

"Nozomi-chan, nya!" Rin exclaimed and she joined the hug. Nozomi laughed and drank her shot, handing Rin the other. Rin cheered and drank it.

"What took you so long?" Nozomi asked and Maki's blush darkened, making Nozomi grin evilly, "Got something to say?"

"N-No!"

"Maki-chan's embarrassed because she took forever to put on her costume." Rin teased and Maki just averted her eyes. Nozomi hummed thoughtfully as she looked her over.

The costume looked amazing, as expected of Nico. The wings were a nice touch (and a bit questionable since it sort of got in the way), but the outfit seemed to hug her body in all the right places. Now that she looked at Maki, she realized how attractive she was. Well, not that she wasn't attractive in the first place. Nozomi was just used to seeing her wear a hoodie and sweats all the time. Now she understood why Nico called Maki a "waste of talent". On the other hand, she also wondered how Nico got her measurements. Well, it wasn't like she couldn't convince Nico to tell her, so she put it on her mental list of things to find out.

"Well, we'll be off now. I wanna have some fun now since my birthday is on the 1st, nya!" Rin exclaimed and one of the guys, a 3rd year in engineering, nearby turned his head.

"What? It's your birthday on the 1st, Rin?"

"Yeah, nya!"

"Aww shit, that's during a school day. But wait, we could celebrate now!"

Nozomi laughed at how excited the two got and squeezed Hanayo's shoulder in comfort, but the poor girl became more anxious when the guy rounded up some others.

"Hey guys! It's Rin's birthday on the 1st but it's a school day! Let's give her an early celebration!"

"Really? Hey, let's get the early celebrant some drinks!"

"Yeah!"

Within seconds, Rin and Hanayo were rushed away by a group of people that they probably didn't know. Nozomi laughed at the scene before turning towards Maki, who was disgruntled at the fact that her friends left her. Even more so that she was left with Nozomi of all people. With a wide smile, Nozomi took her hand and led her to the couch she was sitting on earlier. She offered Maki a shot and she took it, drinking it with a composed face.

"Shouldn't you be with Eli?" Maki asked and Nozomi shrugged, a casual smile on her face.

"You're not the first person to ask me that."

A burst of laughter brought their attention and they looked over to where it came from. It was Honoka, without a doubt. She was one of those people who would make friends with everyone at a party.

From what Nozomi could tell, she was telling stories again. Despite how she acted, Honoka was actually pretty observant and always caught small details that no one else would find. It's one of the reasons why she was such a great prankster.

A set of cheers shifted their focus towards the middle of the living room. Nozomi started laughing and took her phone out for pictures while Maki sighed and shook her head with disappointment.

Kotori and Umi were at the Lap Dance chair again. It seemed like deja vu with the way Kotori would teasingly strut around Umi, touching her slightly before moving away. With a small blush and a glazed look, she straddled Umi and moved her ass in a circle, but when Umi attempted to place her hands on her waist, she got off of her. She turned around and gave Umi a sly wink before heading upstairs, making a clear show of the keys in her hand. Umi immediately rushed after her, ignoring everyone's cheers.

Nozomi knew better, though. Umi was most likely just going to make sure that Kotori was okay; she seemed like she had way too much to drink tonight. Well, at least she wasn't puking all over the place.

"Alright, time to get this party started!" a sultry voice exclaimed from the entrance and the two looked over to see Anju and Erena walk in with a couple others.

"Hell yeah! Anju and Erena are here!" A crowd cheered and Anju grinned widely.

"See, babe? I told you coming to Nico's party was a good idea. And here you thought the half hour drive wasn't worth it." Anju said to Erena, who just sighed as she placed a protective arm around her when she noticed some guys looking at them.

"I know, just don't overdo things. I don't want a recap of last time." Erena stated and started to lead her towards the kitchen.

"Aw, honey, I won't spike your drinks again." Anju replied and changed directions, leading her to a seat nearby. She straddled her lap and forcefully put her chin up. With a smirk, she leaned in and said, "I'll give them to you by mouth."

The two kissed and the people around them cheered. Anju seemed like she already had alcohol in her system, Nozomi noted with amusement. Once the two started doing more than shoving their tongues down each other's throats, the people around them started to dissipate to give them some privacy because it would be weird to stare.

"Are parties always like this?" Maki asked with a slight frown, her eyes stuck to her phone ever since Anju sat on top of Erena, and Nozomi shrugged.

"Some are more hardcore than this, but if you're talking about Nico's kind of parties, then yeah. There's a lot of drinking, touching, and stripping."

"Stripping?!"

"Yup. If you look over to your right where Anju and Erena are at," Nozomi started with a tour guide voice and Maki looked over horrifyingly, making Nozomi hold back a laugh. With a mischievous grin, she continued, "you'll see something we call heavy petting. Straight ahead is the 'dance floor', and slightly to the right of that is what Mari dubs the 'Lap Dance Chair'. And of course, to your left, where that huge crowd is hanging out by the table, is where you can see a fine view of—"

"—I d-don't need to know!" Maki interrupted with a blush, pointedly looking somewhere else. Nozomi only laughed even more before handing her another shot, which Maki drank in one sitting.

"But seriously speaking, Nicocchi's popular because she's a natural at socializing. Well, also because no one expects someone like her to hold her alcohol well, but that isn't the main point." Nozomi said as she stealthily texted You. It was time for her plan to start.

"I already know that Nico-chan attracts a lot of unwanted attention." Maki grumbled, and if it wasn't for Nozomi focusing on her voice she wouldn't have heard, "Ugh, why is it so loud?"

"It's a party, Maki-chan. If you don't like the noise then go outside."

"But even with the heaters it's cold and people are smoking so it smells like shit. And if they aren't smoking, they're chugging down the beer kegs upside down like idiots."

Nozomi bit back a grin when she felt her phone vibrate. She checked the text quickly before turning her attention back to Maki, who seemed to be uncomfortable at the sight before her. With a small laugh, she ruffled her hair, "Well at least you know now that the party scene doesn't fit you."

"And what about you?" Maki asked with slight curiosity (only a little, because the redhead sure loved keeping her face as neutral as possible) and Nozomi shrugged.

"If I feel like going, I'll go. Depends on how much work I have." Which was usually quite a bit, but Maki didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, Eli rarely goes out to parties. It's only Nico-chan who does. She's always been outgoing." Maki commented with a frown and reached over to take a shot from Nozomi's tray.

"The clear ones aren't mixed." Nozomi mentioned but Maki just raised an eyebrow at her before drinking two of them, wincing slightly at the taste before her face reverted back to that of indifference. Well, she tried to. She looked more sullen than anything else.

Then she took two more shots in succession, making Nozomi laugh.

"You look like the first half of an anti-depressant commercial." Nozomi pointed out, giggling when Maki glared at her. It seemed like Nico was still a bit of a sore subject with her. "Oh, come on, don't be like that."

"Whatever. I just don't understand why Nico-chan always goes to parties." Maki spoke as she leaned back into the couch, sighing deeply in the process, "She needs to keep her GPA up for scholarships and aid."

"Well, since freshmen year a lot of people seem to want to bet with Nicocchi for some weird reason regardless of whether or not they're sober. So, party hosts usually invite her out because things usually...happen. It's amazing how charming she could be, you know." Nozomi responded, holding in a laugh when Maki's frown grew deeper. Jealousy was plastered all over her face and she couldn't say anything to deny it. However, she couldn't have Maki feeling too extreme so to calm her down a bit, so after a couple moments of listening to the pounding (and questionable, because it went from chill, spooky music to Honoka's type of music) music, Nozomi asked, "So, what are you planning tonight?"

Maki eyed her suspiciously and Nozomi put her hands up in defense, giving her an innocent smile. With a small sigh, Maki answered, "I did want to talk to her, but how can I when she encouraging those idiots to chug alcohol?"

Maki made a good point, Nozomi thought as her eyes drifted towards a table where there were bottles of beer. Nico was cheering some guy on as he chugged a bottle and when he was finished, the crowd cheered even more. Then, out of nowhere, You appeared and wrapped an arm around Nico, sleazy smirk and angled hat in place. She whispered something in Nico's ear and Nico blushed madly. She tried to shrug off You's arm but she held on, still whispering who knows what into her ear.

Of course, Maki acted first and thought later, and within a blink of an eye, Maki was across the room, pushing You off of Nico.

"Hands off." Maki hissed with a glare and Nico blinked.

"Woah, calm down." Nico said, although Maki was still glaring at You and kept Nico behind her. But when Maki couldn't get it through her head that the person she was looking at wasn't the person she was thinking about, Nico became irritated.

"Maki, are you serious right now?" Nico asked and Maki turned her head to look at her with confusion. With her eyebrows raised, she motioned at You, "You just pushed You-senpai off of me, not Shiro."

"C'mon Nishikino, I was just teasing her about something." You defended herself and Maki blushed hotly, realizing that she just embarrassed herself in front of others, "Go drink some water, maybe you've had too much to drink."

"Not enough to deal with this brat." Maki muttered and Nico slapped her arm.

"I heard that." Nico seethed and the people around them laughed, finding the whole thing amusing. Nico looked around the room and made eye contact with Nozomi, who just smiled innocently. When Nico flipped her off, Nozomi just laughed and motioned for her to do something about the situation. Nico rolled her eyes and shrugged Maki's arm off of her.

"Look, Maki, we need to talk," Nico started and the crowd around her started making noises but she ignored them, "and I'd rather we do it somewhere private."

"Here's the key to the room at the end." You offered and Nico took it before dragging a confused Maki upstairs, ignoring the loud cheers coming from the crowd. You made eye contact with Nozomi and gave her a thumbs-up. Nozomi saluted in response; You gave them what was probably the best room.

With a wide grin, Nozomi stood up and walked over to kitchen. Not all her plans were extravagant, especially when it involved alcohol and jealousy. Things just tended to operate on its own when it came to those two as long as the atmosphere was right.

Humming along the music, she wondered where Eli was before shrugging it off. She was sure the blonde was busy doing her own thing. They didn't need to be together all the time. After all, what was a relationship without trust?

* * *

"Why'd you bring me here?" Maki asked Nico once they reached the room and Nico rolled her eyes.

"Because I said that I wanted to talk to you privately." Nico restated for the second time that night. Signing, she threw the keys on the counter, "Are you okay? I'd rather not do this when you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk! I'm just slightly inebriated." Maki protested with a huff and Nico snorted. Well, she wasn't _too_ drunk, Nico noted.

"Says the one who mistakes You-senpai with Shiro, a guy with orange hair."

"Well I'm sorry I acted before thinking first! What if it was some disgusting guy trying to make moves on you?"

"But it wasn't. And I'm not into guys."

"But what about that guy in high school—"

"—It was an experimental thing, Maki." Nico interrupted with an exasperated groan, holding her hand up to her head because of her growing headache. She went over to the drawer and pulled out a water bottle, drinking it while ignoring the other...contents inside. How much money did You have? Nevermind that, she knew some of the stuff inside was Mari's idea as well. "I thought you knew by now that I was completely gay."

"How can I when some guy is flirting with you every other week?" Maki retorted with a frown and Nico resisted the urge to laugh.

"I never flirted back. Hell, I rejected them all. Have you ever stopped to think that I rejected them all because I wasn't straight?" Nico responded as she set the bottle down. With an amused grin, she moved closer to Maki, who sat still in contemplative silence. At her reaction, Nico laughed and continued, "Wow, I knew you were dense, but I didn't know you were _that_ dense."

Maki glared at her before sitting on the bed, turning around and facing the other way. It was then that Nico realized she was wearing the costume she made for her. With a small smile, she sat next to her.

"You're looking pretty... _angelic_ despite what happened earlier." Nico commented as she nudged Maki, her smile growing when Maki blushed.

"I-It was the only costume I had, so don't feel special!" Nico snorted; typical Maki reaction.

"It was the only costume you had cause I made it for you, you dolt."

"Stop calling me—" Maki said as she turned around angrily but her voice caught up in her throat when she saw just what Nico was wearing (well, more like what she wasn't wearing) and just how close she was. With an audible gulp, she turned away once again.

While Nico wanted to do nothing but make out with her (why the hell did Maki have to look so damn irresistible?), she also knew that she had to make it clear how she feel about her otherwise Maki would think it was the alcohol's doing.

But the way that Maki looked right now was so tempting. She was so beautiful with the angel outfit she made for her, so adorable with the way she averted her eyes and blushed out of embarrassment. Nico literally had to restrain herself from jumping Maki; that's how deep she was in. Well, she _did_ drink a lot tonight, but not enough to blame all of her stupid actions on alcohol.

"Maki, I didn't bring you up here to sit down on a bed and listen to other people having fun both up here and downstairs." Nico started slowly and she saw Maki's blush deepen, no doubt at the soft rhythmic banging coming from one of the rooms. Good thing the walls here were somewhat thick; Nico needed all the privacy she could get. "We really need to talk."

"About what?"

"About us."

"Of all the times, why during a party?"

Nico asked herself that question many times ever since she heard about Nozomi's plan, and each time she thought about it, she remembered why Nozomi had planned for everything to come out tonight.

"Because I want to stop fighting as soon as possible, and the soonest chance was unfortunately tonight. Because, like the stubborn idiot you are, you would ignore me otherwise. Not to mention, you're also the type of idiot who jumps to conclusions first without thinking, as shown from what happened earlier." Nico listed off in a matter-of-fact tone and Maki turned around to glare at her, "I'm not wrong, am I?"

Maki's glare faltered and Nico sighed; she honestly missed Maki so much. Midterms was hell for her, particularly because Maki was avoiding her at all costs. It felt wrong to cook a meal for two. It felt wrong coming home to an empty house. It felt so wrong to wake up knowing that she couldn't talk to Maki because she avoiding her.

Sure she'd only known Maki since they had met in high school but ever since then, they were somewhat inseparable. Nico would take some time off just to visit her even after she graduated high school (along with Eli of course). But once she started living with her, she realized that she couldn't imagine a life without her. She couldn't even imagine a moment when Maki wasn't eating breakfast as if she were half-asleep or studying while throwing playful insults at her.

Oh shit, maybe Nico did drink more than she thought she did. She was thinking of the cheesiest shit about Maki. But then again, all she felt was a good buzz. The alcohol was probably just enabling her to slightly lose her inhibitions.

"I missed you." Nico whispered sincerely as she leaned in. Maki froze when Nico rested her head on her shoulder, and she could literally feel the doubt radiating from her. "It's not the alcohol talking, Maki. I really missed you."

Nico looked up to try to convey her feelings and saw Maki's face soften. With a defeated sigh, Maki pulled Nico away to look at her properly. Biting her lip, she said in the softest voice possible, "I'm sorry."

Nico blinked, surprised at the sudden apology. Maki continued as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I really am an idiot who jumps to conclusions. I knew you weren't lying to me, but the possibility of you on a date with someone else without telling me just made me so—"

"—Angry? Furious?" Nico finished obviously but Maki shook her head.

"Jealous." Maki whispered as she averted her eyes and Nico gaped at her slightly. Well, she knew that Maki liked her but she never would've guessed that she would admit it.

"I-It's not the alcohol talking either Nico-chan. I'm in love with you. Have been since high school," Maki confessed softly albeit shamefully, and Nico could've sworn her heart was going to burst at how adorable she looked, "and if you don't want to be friends, or even live with me anymore, then it's okay."

Maki was still looking the other way, her face crestfallen despite the burning blush on her face. Nico knew she shouldn't feel giddy, but hey, the person she's liked for three long, agonizing years just confessed to her.

"Hey, hey, it's all right." Nico said with a calm voice when she saw Maki's eyes tear up, "Hey, look at me."

When Maki absolutely refused to look at her, Nico gently turned her head around. Ignoring the surprised look on her face, Nico leaned in and kissed her softly before leaning back.

"You're not the only one who's been in love since high school." Nico whispered and Maki's expression immediately brightened up.

"Y-You really mean it?" Maki asked, her voice with a hint of insecurity. Wanting to wash it all away, Nico nodded and leaned in once more.

"I would rather have you than all the fame and luxuries in the world." Nico said softly before pressing her lips on Maki's once again.

Maki immediately kissed her back, her arms wrapping around Nico's back tightly. Nico moved her hands lower, trying to take off the wings of Maki's costume and throwing them somewhere when she did. When Nico felt Maki's lips part slightly at her actions, she took the chance to push her tongue inside. She'd never French kissed before, but there was always a first time for everything. Once they pulled apart to breathe, Maki blushed and looked the other way, making Nico laugh.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Nico asked as she leaned in with a seductive smirk.

"N-Nico-chan, y-you—" Maki stammered and tried to move away but Nico kept inching closer.

"—What? What did I do?" Nico asked teasingly. Was it coincidence that she was wearing a devil costume? Nico didn't know. But if there was one thing she did know, it was that she didn't want to make Maki uncomfortable, so as much as she didn't want to, she backed off. "I'm just joking, Maki. If you don't want to move too fast, I'm fine with it."

But it seemed like Maki had other plans tonight.

"N-No, it's ok." Maki responded as she caught Nico's hand. She looked at Nico with an uncharacteristically shy look and meekly asked, "C-Can you do it again?"

Nico felt like her soul straight up ascended to another plane. Maki looked so damn adorable and embarrassed and holy shit, she'd be damned if she didn't do what she asked.

Licking her lips nervously, Nico moved closer to Maki. After affirming that Maki really wanted to do what they were doing, she leaned in and closed the distance once again.

Has Nico ever kissed anyone before? Yeah. Has Nico ever kissed anyone like _this_ before? Tongues wrapped, hands roaming, bodies pressed? Never, and her self-control was slipping by the second.

Nico gently pushed Maki on the bed, liking the way the redhead moaned into her mouth and tugged at her hair. She ran her hands up and down her sides, groaning when she felt Maki push herself against her more. Pulling away to breathe but not wanting to stop her motions, Nico started kissing on Maki's neck. She sucked hard, wanting to leave a mark even though she knew Maki would get angry. She relished in the soft whines Maki made as she made her way down to her collarbone.

"A-Ah, Nico-chan!" Maki whimpered when Nico's hand slipped under her costume to squeeze her waist. Nico just smirked at her sensitivity before moving back up to kiss her again. Maki boldly wrapped her legs around Nico's, allowing Nico to grind on her. The two broke off their heated kiss to moan loudly before diving right back in again.

"I've wanted to do this for so long." Nico murmured against Maki's lips when she pulled away and Maki moaned in response.

"Then let's do it." Maki whispered as she trailed her hands down to Nico's exposed back, scratching them slightly.

"Right now?" Nico asked with a groan as she bit Maki's neck, wanting to leave as many marks as she could.

"A-Ah! Y-Yes." Maki responded breathily but Nico abruptly stopped, making her look up with confusion, "Nico-chan?"

"Are you sure about this? There's no going back." Nico asked hesitantly, feeling doubt seep in. What if they were moving too fast because of the alcohol? What if they regretted what happened? What if—

A finger on her lips stopped her train of thought. Nico blinked with mild surprise and when she looked down, she couldn't help but blush at the sight of Maki's state. Her hair was messy in a way that it looked sexy, her neck was littered with marks, her lips were bruised from all the kissing they had done, and her eyes were filled with so much desire and affection that it made Nico's heart speed up even more.

"I've wanted to do this for a while too, Nico-chan." Maki said softly as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind Nico's ear. Maki bit her lip and Nico saw the hesitance in her eyes but she shook her head slightly and continued, "I've wanted you for the longest time."

Maki took Nico's hand and led them to her lips. With a seductive gaze, she put two of her fingers in her mouth and wrapped her tongue around them, coating them with saliva and making Nico groan at the feel of her warm tongue. She let them go a moment after, licking her lips in a somewhat teasing fashion.

That was all Nico needed. Gone was her self-control. Gone was Maki's top. Gone was hers.

As Nico's lips meshed against Maki's, her hands roamed around. She squeezed Maki's waist before moving a hand upwards, slipping her hand underneath Maki's bra to massage one of her breasts. At eliciting a moan from Maki, Nico used her other hand, the one that Maki put in her mouth, to grab her thigh. She squeezed it before pressing Maki's lower body against hers even more.

She could feel her lips bruising from the amount of kissing they were doing. When she pulled away to breathe, she licked them and decided that it wasn't that bad. She moved away to get rid of her ponytails but Maki was impatient because as soon as she was done, she found herself being pulled back down.

While Maki was busy kissing her, Nico felt that her skirt was in the way. She removed it swiftly, knowing where the zipper was because she designed it. She broke the kiss briefly to take off her own and threw it somewhere behind her. Meanwhile, Maki busied herself by squeezing Nico's ass, making Nico groan. Maki then pulled Nico in for another kiss but stopped it abruptly to suck on her neck. She wanted to gain the upper hand somehow.

While Nico was distracted by her ministrations, Maki undid her bra and threw it somewhere. It was only when Maki started massaging one of her breasts that Nico noticed what Maki had done. She faltered and Maki flipped them over, giving Nico a devilish smirk as she licked her lips and looked her over.

Nico blushed heavily, panting as she felt one of Maki's hands touch her cheek. Maki then leaned forward and kissed her, using one hand to gently pinch one of Nico's nipples and the other to steady herself. Wanting to show that she was the one in charge, Nico gently raised her knee up and rubbed it against Maki, who stopped the kiss to moan loudly. Nico then took the opportunity to flip her over so that she was on top, somehow taking off her bra in the process.

This time, Nico took a couple of seconds to appreciate her handiwork. Maki's hair was in disarray and her lips were definitely bruised. There were several hickeys along her neck and Nico couldn't help but lean down and kiss each one. At Maki's whine, Nico couldn't help but giggle softly. Maki truly was a spoiled, impatient brat.

Slowly, she dragged one of her hands down to Maki's panties and started to massage her center, softly groaning at how wet she was. Licking her lips, Nico gave Maki a teasing smirk as she slowly went down, kissing her neck, then her breasts, stomach, thighs—

"Nico-chan!" Maki whined and Nico grinned widely, wanting to play a little game.

"What do you want?" Nico asked and Maki groaned, putting an arm over her head and refusing to make eye contact with the devil below her.

"You know what I want!"

"Do I really?" Nico teased and relented when she whined again. She didn't know what Maki's boundaries were and decided to test that out another time since it was their first time.

Nico took off Maki's underwear as well as her own and threw it somewhere behind her. She brought Maki's legs up to her shoulders, lightly giggling at Maki's surprised gasp. She massaged her legs, trying to get her to relax.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll feel _so_ good that you can't help but scream my name." Nico whispered sultry and grinned when Maki shuddered before promptly digging into the best meal she'd ever have in her life.

And in the hours that progressed, both Maki and Nico reached heights of ecstasy they never have been able to reach before.

* * *

' _Nicocchi's probably not coming back anytime soon.'_ Nozomi thought with a small grin as she checked her phone. About half an hour passed since Nico left. The guests didn't seem to mind (or notice), especially because Honoka and Rin were present.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" the crowd chanted as Honoka and Rin each drank a bottle of Smirnoff. The beer pong game was momentarily stopped in favor for Honoka and Rin's drinking competition and the crowd proceeded to cheer even more when Honoka won.

"Hah! I, I win Rin-chan!" Honoka slurred as she threw her arms up. She stumbled in the process but Tsubasa caught her, sighing as she shook her head.

"C'mon, love, you've had too much to drink tonight." Tsubasa said as she attempted to get Honoka to at least drink some water. Honoka took it with a girn.

"It's, it's not even 10 yet, Tuba-chan. I ain't gon stop now!" Nozomi snorted at Tsubasa's nickname; she could never get used to it.

"Nya! It was only one bottle." Rin agreed as she leaned on Hanayo, a wide grin on her face that replicated that of Honoka's.

"R-Rin-chan! I thought you said you wouldn't go all out tonight." Hanayo said as she steadied Rin. Rin only had a couple of beers beforehand compared to Honoka, who looked like she had way more than she should have.

"But they're celebrating my birthday, Kayo-chin." Rin whined and Nozomi saw this as her moment to intervene.

"Now, now. If the two of you get shitfaced now, then you wouldn't be able to remember what's going to happen for the rest of the night." Nozomi interrupted with a smile, putting an arm around Honoka and Rin, "The party ends at 3; you've still got at least five hours to sober up and do... _other_ things. Even more so that our favorite prince isn't in sight."

Honoka and Rin took the hint and they grinned mischievously. On the other hand, Tsubasa and Hanayo became even more worried.

"You're right, nya! Kayo-chin, come with me, I wanna try something out." Rin responded cheerfully as she stumbled off somewhere while dragging Hanayo, who was crying out for someone to save her. A part of the crowd went after them, no doubt to see what Rin was going to do. Probably something stupid.

"Tuba-chan! Hold my beer, I, I wanna do somethin too!" Honoka exclaimed as she shoved her beer bottle onto her hands and Tsubasa sighed.

"Honoka, wait, don't do something stu—"

It was too late. Honoka already ran off somewhere, prompting Tsubasa and a considerable amount of people to run after her. Curiously, Nozomi followed them as well only to laugh at what Honoka was doing.

She found Dia and was arguing with her about something, most likely about the music since she was the one people went to for song requests. Eventually, Dia relented and let Honoka plug in her phone.

When the music stopped, the people groaned and complained. However, it started again and started playing Honoka's style of music, which Nozomi knew the crowd would definitely love.

" _Hump me!"_

Nozomi blinked.

" _Fuck me!"_

Nozomi blinked again.

" _Daddy better make me choke!"_

Nozomi tried really hard to fight off the impending grin, but she just _couldn't_. She laughed loudly knowing that if Umi were present, she would immediately make it her life goal to stop Honoka's atrocious choice of a song. On the other hand, Dia just sighed and went off to make sure no one was taking advantage of anybody. As Nozomi expected, the 'dance floor' had gotten especially rowdy, including the song chooser herself. She was on a chair shaking her ass while Tsubasa was trying to get her down. Nozomi just shook her head, took pictures, and went back to the kitchen with a wide grin.

She went to Mari, who was (surprisingly) keeping a dutiful watch and making sure that people didn't hog all the beer from both the kegs and the packs. Anyone who wanted something stronger had to get through her.

"Evening! What do you want tonight, pretty lady?" Mari asked with a wink and Nozomi giggled.

"A Mai Tai sounds pretty good."

"Here you go!" Nozomi took the iced drink and was about to leave when Mari stopped her, "I heard your girlfriend came back. Best if you check the living room, right side."

At Mari's hesitant smile, Nozomi decided to drink the shot there and then before going into the living room. Why did Mari look as if she didn't want to tell Nozomi where Eli was? Nozomi found out within seconds.

She saw Eli from across the room, talking with a couple of clingy girls who would reach out to touch the fur of her outfit before smiling flirtatiously. Eli, as oblivious as ever, let them, thinking that they really were just fascinated with Nico's work.

Nozomi sat down on a couch, observing how Eli would react to the girls. They would give her a drink and Eli would resist before taking it under the pressure. Nozomi sighed, knowing that Eli most likely didn't know what was going on.

' _Ugh, I don't wanna deal with this right now.'_ Nozomi thought with a groan, trying to suppress her jealousy. She knew Eli wouldn't cheat on her, but why hasn't she pushed those girls off yet?

She knew she needed to talk to her. Hell, she hadn't seen Eli for most of the party, and that made her even more insecure. But once she had the resolve to get up and do something about it, someone drunkenly stumbled and sat on the couch next to her.

Nozomi blinked at the person in the maid outfit, recognizing her from one of her classes when she was a 2nd year student. Tohru, if Nozomi recalled correctly.

"H-Hey, why do, why do we cook bacon and bake cookies? S-Shouldn't we like, cook cookies and bake bacon?" Tohru managed to slur against the loud music and Nozomi momentarily forgot about her current predicament, laughing at the woman's statement. "L-Like, how come we, how come we can say drink a drink but can't food a food?"

"Tohru! What are you doing?" Someone dressed up in a tie exclaimed as she ran up to them, panting slightly. Nozomi eyed her and faintly recognized her as one of those tech students. She smiled softly when she saw the concern in her eyes, "I told you not to drink too much."

"B-But you're the one w-who always gets gone when we, when we go out." Tohru whined and Nozomi snickered when the woman blushed with embarrassment.

"Fine, fine. I get it. You want to get back at me, so there." The student said and Tohru shook her head.

"Not enough." Tohru responded with a cute pout.

"Then what would be enough?" The woman replied with exasperation.

"Well, if you, if you start kissing me more then I guess you could be, uh, forgiven." Tohru responded distractedly and at this point, Nozomi got up, an amused smile on her face.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Were we bothering you, Nozomi-san?" The student asked and Nozomi looked at her curiously, making her lightly blush again. "Right, sorry. I'm Kobayashi from the Computer Science department."

Something clicked in Nozomi's head as she shook hands with her. So that was the name of the indifferent techie who's girlfriend was friends with Rin. Nozomi couldn't believe that she didn't connect how the Tohru in her class was the same as Rin's Tohru.

However, her earlier problem was immediately remembered when she felt Eli's gaze on her, and in a rare moment of indulgence (most likely fueled by the alcohol she consumed), Nozomi decided that she wanted to be petty.

"Say, Kobayashi-san, Tohru-san can you do me a favor?" Nozomi asked as she moved closer to Kobayashi, wrapping an arm around her. "Just play along, alright?"

Kobayashi and Tohru looked at her curiously albeit warily as she sat Kobayashi down next to her so that Nozomi was in the middle. Nozomi left her arm around Kobayashi and leaned closer to Tohru.

"I'm trying to make my girlfriend jealous. You down?" Nozomi murmured to Tohru's ear, who grinned widely and nodded her head. Nozomi did the same to Kobayashi, who just sighed and shrugged. She knew from Rin that Nozomi wasn't a bad person. As long as it kept Tohru in one place, she couldn't care less.

"Now I know why people call you the Queen of Gay." Kobayashi muttered when she saw Nozomi's charming grin. Tohru just giggled and snuggled up to Nozomi, liking how warm she was.

"Ah, I'm not that charismatic. If anything, I think your girlfriend is." Nozomi said as she winked at Kobayashi, who blushed slightly. "To think that enthusiastic Tohru could land such a smart, indifferent girl."

The three promptly got to know each other better, asking each other different questions until Tohru got tired and started sleeping. Nozomi got up to help Kobayashi steady her and smiled softly at the way she looked at her; it was filled with concern, but she saw the love hidden underneath.

However, the sight made her remember her original goal and as she was about to turn around to look for her dense girlfriend, she freezed when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She felt the hand turn her around and was about to deck the person if it weren't for the impassive blue eyes staring at her.

"Hey." Eli simply said.

"Hey." Nozomi simply replied.

"So," Eli drawled out as she motioned for Nozomi to sit back down on the couch, "who were you were talking to?"

Nozomi knew she was just being polite, trying to hide her real emotions behind the indifferent mask she used to have back when she befriended her. She sighed, knowing she screwed up. Nozomi vowed to never resort to pettiness.

"Just someone I had for a history class; she's actually friends with Rin too." Nozomi replied as she forced herself to relax, seeing the traces of anger slipping from Eli's face as the blonde tried to calm herself down. Nozomi gave her a placating smile and continued, "They're dating, and I was just asking them how it happened since it seemed so unlikely."

"Really." Eli said with an eyebrow raised and Nozomi rolled her eyes.

"Yes, really." At Eli's unimpressed stare, Nozomi relented, "Okay so maybe I was flirting with them since you were doing nothing about those group of girls flirting with you."

Eli sighed and shook her head, realizing how stupid their situation was. She turned towards Nozomi fully and put her hand out. Nozomi just looked at it with a curious look before Eli took her hand and stood up.

"Come on, let's get some fresh air." Eli said and Nozomi got up, following her outside. She smiled weakly at Mari's wink and cringed when she felt the cold blast of the sea breeze.

"Why are we outside?" Nozomi asked as Eli led her to the fence of the balcony, ignoring the various people chugging beer like no tomorrow. She glared at some people smoking and they fled to the other side in a hurry.

"Whenever I would fight with my parents, I would usually go outside and walk around." Eli admitted as she stared at the dark sky littered with stars, "The cold helped me feel, well, less of anything."

Nozomi kept quiet, choosing only to stand next to Eli. When she felt confident enough to, she moved closer to her and held her hand. The action made Eli look at her and Nozomi smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I was being an idiot for trying to be petty." Nozomi apologized but Eli shook her head.

"No, it's my fault. I didn't push them off." Eli said with a frown. "They kept asking me about the costume and Nico, so I really thought they wanted her and not me."

Nozomi laughed at that and laid her head on Eli's shoulder, "We're just two idiots, aren't we?"

"Just two idiots in love." Eli responded softly, making Nozomi turn her head up at her. With a small smile, Eli moved closer and gave Nozomi a chaste kiss. Nozomi smiled into it, turning to wrap her arms around Eli's shoulder as Eli rested her hands on her hips.

When they broke apart, Nozomi whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Eli murmured back as she nuzzled her nose with hers.

Nozomi brushed her fingers against Eli's golden hair as she pressed her lips against Eli's for a second time that night. After a couple of moments, she broke it off with a small smile, loving how Eli's eyes seemed to be brighter than ever. She burrowed her head on Eli's shoulder and giggled when Eli wrapped her hands around her waist tightly. In that moment, it was only them. It was as if they were the only ones in the world—

"HOOOOONNNNKKKK!"

—until Honoka crashed the moment. Literally.

"Honoka!" Tsubasa yelled when Honoka nearly rammed into Eli and Nozomi, who ducked in time. Honoka was, surprisingly, safe and sound. She fell into the sand below but was alright, as indicated by her loud laughter.

"That was awesome! Do it with me too, Tuba-chan!" Honoka exclaimed and Tsubasa sighed. She vaulted over the railing and landed safely near Honoka.

"Don't do that ever again! I got scared." Tsubasa replied with concern as she helped Honoka up, but her girlfriend just pouted.

"S-Sorry Tuba-chan. It was, was suuuuuuuper fun though." Honoka said with a drunken giggle and Tsubasa sighed.

"I know, but I get scared when you do things like that." Tsubasa responded gently before hugging her, "If you're going to be a daredevil, then at least be sober."

"Fine, fine." Honoka mumbled as she snuggled into Tsubasa's hug, "I love you Tuba-chan."

"And I love you too, Honk."

Nozomi blinked at the scene that was happening below her before laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Seriously. She and Eli were having a moment only for it to be literally destroyed by Honoka's gliding, with which Tsubasa seemed to be used to at this point.

"C'mon, Elichi. Let's go inside." Nozomi said as she tugged Eli's hand. Eli looked at Honoka and Tsubasa once more to make sure that the two were okay before complying. Nozomi couldn't help but smile at how compassionate Eli had become.

Then she was forced to look away from her girlfriend at the sound of someone vomiting all over the porch.

Scrunching her face up from the sight, Nozomi looked at the state of You's beach house and couldn't help but hold in a laugh. It seemed like the hosts had _a lot_ to clean up and if Nozomi was right about what was happening between Nico and Maki, then tomorrow would be very, very fun.

But for now, Nozomi had some other things on her mind, one of them being the woman she wasn't able to spend a lot of time with. And Nozomi knew just exactly how to make up that lost time. With a hand in the pocket Kotori made for her, she clenched a set of keys and led her curious girlfriend to the rooms upstairs.

Let's just leave it as them being the reason why people would later come to believe that You's beach house was haunted.

* * *

 **AN:** Here's to hoping those NicoMaki and NozoEli scenes didn't seem forced. I really wanted to show that Maki doesn't _always_ top Nico (indirectly ooshima tomo lol) and that nothing is perfect in a relationship. And tbh, I think that's as spicy as it can get lol. As for Aquors, idk them really well so they'll prob not show up after this chapter. I'll prob give em a mention every now and then. Anyways, I s2g I'm not dead. In fact, I may drop a KotoUmi fic soon ;)

Well, I'm putting this to like 3 chapters left. My new years resolution is to finish this fic before the end of the year, but we'll see how that goes lol. I'll prob transfer it to ao3 as well once I get the time but who knows if I'll ever get any since I'm actually goin off to college next week :')

Anyways I hope y'all liked this chapter! Reviews and criticisms are always much appreciated as well. And I love you all for waiting on me :')


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